Prof. Einat Albin is an expert in labour law, focusing on labour rights in the service economy, personal data protection, and the regulation of AI systems in the workplace. Her research combines critical analysis and innovative methodologies to address pressing legal challenges in these evolving fields.

Labour Rights in the Service Economy

Prof. Albin’s work explores the unique challenges faced by workers and employers in the service economy. Her research includes:

• Regulation of tips: Examining the regulation of tips through the worker-employer-customer prism, and the analysis of the latest Tipping Act in Britain.
• Labour law exclusions: Addressing the exclusion of workers from labour protections due to consumer involvement in work relations in the British case of Quashie and among platform workers.
• Sexual harassment of workers by customers: Proposing regulatory solutions to protect workers from customer misconduct.

Her groundbreaking argument emphasizes the need to regulate labour law in a service world by considering the impact of consumption on work relations, not just production, noting that modern labour law was traditionally developed around production alone. On this basis she offers proposals on how this can be done. These themes culminate in her forthcoming book, Customers at Work, set to be published by Oxford University Press in 2025.

Personal Data Protection in the Workplace

In an era of rapid technological advancement, Prof. Albin has extensively studied personal data protections in employment settings. Key contributions include:

• Protection of personal data by the Israeli labour courts: Together with Gil Omer, analysing a decade of Israeli court decisions since the landmark decision of Isakov-Inbar was delivered, providing insights and recommendations for stronger protections.
• Cybersecurity and data privacy: Addressing challenges posed by cyber technologies that rely heavily on monitoring and handling personal data.
• Inserting a labour logic to the regulation of personal data in the European context: Assessing how the intersection of labour laws with the European GDPR framework impacts data protection, while advocating for stronger integration of labour law principles to address workplace data protection deficits.

Regulation of AI Systems in the Workplace

As the lead investigator of the AI Network@Work research group, funded by the Israel Science Foundation, Prof. Albin is at the forefront of examining the implications of AI in employment. The project seeks to:

• Assess how adopted and emerging AI regulations address the unique characteristics of the labour market and employment relations.
• Determine the optimal distribution of legal obligations among tech actors in the AI lifecycle (“the stack”) and employers.
• Develop innovative “top-down” and “bottom-up” methodologies to analyze these issues.

This pioneering work bridges gaps between AI regulation and labour law, offering practical solutions to emerging challenges.

Publications and Recognition

Prof. Albin has published extensively in leading international law journals and has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards and honours for her contributions to the field.