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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.

Self-employed professionals in the European labour market : a comparison between Italy, Germany and the UK / P. Borghi, A. Mori, R. Semenza. - In: TRANSFER. - ISSN 1024-2589. - (2018). [Epub ahead of print] [10.1177/1024258918761564]

Self-employed professionals in the European labour market : a comparison between Italy, Germany and the UK

P. Borghi;A. Mori
;R. Semenza
2018

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.
La transition vers une e´conomie de services a` la demande, soutenue par des e´volutions technologiques sans pre´ce´dent et par la re´volution nume´rique, a modifie´ les professions inde´pendantes traditionnelles et en a cre´e´ de nouvelles, en favorisant dans les e´conomies europe´ennes la croissance d’une cate´gorie d’inde´pendants hautement qualifie´s et hyperspe´cialise´s. Une analyse de ce phe´nome`ne souligne trois questions critiques, lie´es a` la position des inte´resse´s sur le marche´ du travail: 1) la de´finition conteste´e de leur statut le´gal et de la re´glementation (ad hoc) adopte´e; 2) la position des inte´resse´s au sein de chaque syste`me national de protection sociale; 3) la complexite´ de la repre´sentation collective dans un contexte de fragmentation accrue du marche´ du travail. L’article explore ces proble´matiques dans une perspective socio-e´conomique, en comparant trois pays europe´ens l’Italie, l’Allemagne et le Royaume-Uni dote´s de re´gimes diffe´rents de protection sociale et de mode`les diffe´rents de re´glementation des professions. Les premie`res conclusions montrent des re´ponses partiellement divergentes a` ces de´fis communs, tout en relevant certains signes positifs de changement pour les travailleurs inde´pendants en question.
Der U¨ bergang zu einer „On-demand“-Dienstleistungsgesellschaft, der durch technologische Entwicklungen ungekannten Ausmaßes und die digitale Revolution beschleunigt wird, hat traditionelle Ta¨tigkeiten von Selbsta¨ndigen ohne weitere Angestellte vera¨ndert und neue geschaffen. Diese Entwicklung hat das Wachstum einer Gruppe von hochqualifizierten und hyperspezialisierten Alleinunternehmern in den europa¨ischen O¨ konomien begu¨nstigt. Eine Analyse dieses Pha¨nomens stellt drei kritische Fragen mit Bezug zur Arbeitsmarktposition dieser Alleinunternehmer in den Vordergrund: (1) die umstrittene Definition ihres rechtlichen Status’ und die auf sie angewandte (ad hoc-)Regulierung; (2) ihre Position in dem jeweiligen nationalen System der sozialen Sicherheit; und (3) die Komplexita¨t der kollektiven Interessensvertretung in einem Kontext starker Fragmentierung der Arbeitsma¨rkte. Der Artikel untersucht diese Themen aus einer sozio-o¨konomischen Perspektive und vergleicht drei europa¨ische La¨nder – Italien, Deutschland und das Vereinigte Ko¨nigreich – mit unterschiedlichen Wohlfahrtsstaatsmodellen und verschiedenen Modellen zur Regulierung von Berufen. Erste Forschungsergebnisse zeigen z.T. divergierende Antworten auf diese gemeinsamen Herausforderungen, aber auch einige positive Vera¨nderungen fu¨r Alleinunternehmer.
Self-employed professionals; social protection; collective representation; Italy; Germany; United Kingdom
Settore SPS/09 - Sociologia dei Processi economici e del Lavoro
2018
26-feb-2018
TRANSFER
Article (author)
01 - Articolo su periodico
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/560234
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