Self-employed professionals in the European labour market. A comparison between Italy, Germany and the UK. (November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Borghi, Paolo; Mori, Anna; Semenza, Renata
• Is Part Of: Transfer. Volume 24:Number 4(2018:Nov.)
• Page Start: 405
• Page End: 419
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Subjects: Self-employed professionals -- social protection -- collective representation -- Italy -- Germany -- United Kingdom; Labor movement -- Europe -- Periodicals; Industrial relations -- Europe -- Periodicals; 331.09405
• DOI: 10.1177/1024258918761564
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1024-2589

Abstract

The transition to an on-demand service economy, supported by unprecedented technological developments and the digital revolution, has modified traditional self-employed professions and generated new ones, fostering the growth of a body of highly qualified and hyper-specialised self-employed professionals in the European economies. An analysis of this phenomenon highlights three critical questions, connected to their position in the labour market: 1) the contested definition of their legal status and the (ad hoc) regulation adopted; 2) their position within each national social protection system; 3) the complexity of collective representation in a context of major labour market fragmentation. The article explores these issues from a socio-economic perspective, comparing three European countries − Italy, Germany and the UK − with different welfare state regimes and diverse models for regulating professions. First findings show partly divergent responses to such common challenges, yet display some positive signs of change for self-employed professionals.