Social Protection Rights of Economically Dependent Self-Employed Workers

  • Werner Eichhorst (IZA)
  • Michela Braga (FRDB)
  • Ulrike Famira-Mühlberger (WIFO)
  • Maarten Gerard (IDEA Consult)
  • Thomas Horvath (WIFO)
  • Martin Kahanec
  • Marta Kahancová (CELSI)
  • Michael J. Kendzia (IZA)
  • Monika Martišková (CELSI)
  • Paola Monti (FRDB)
  • Jakob Louis Pedersen (NIRAS)
  • Julian Stanley (University of Warwick)
  • Barbara Vandeweghe (IDEA Consult)
  • Caroline Wehner (IZA)
  • Caroline White (University of Warwick)

The study analyses the role of economically dependent self-employed workers in the labour market by taking institutional factors into account, such as labour law and social protection rights. In addition to setting out the reasons for the increase of dependent self-employed workers, the authors provide case studies across various sectors of selected EU countries. While the phenomenon of dependent self-employment is highly diverse across EU countries, it has become increasingly important and can be regarded as part of a general trend towards increasing labour market flexibilisation.