Browse by title

The Afterword questions the possibility that a new era of social dialogue is opening up in Europe. Self-employed professionals represent here a key stake, because they are skilled, they are mere workers and do not possess the traditional capital and assets of entrepreneurs, and they have been the most dynamic part of the workforce since the beginning of the century. They represent, in a context of enduring unemployment and precariousness in the European Union, one central way of developing employment and diversifying careers. However, they do not fit into the classical processes of social dialogue, which were devised and implemented for salaried workers many years ago. Starting from a traditional definition of social dialogue, and briefly showing the trends and challenges affecting it in the European union, the chapter considers the specific needs of these new workers, connected to the rich potential resources they could provide.

Chapter 5 provides a comparative analysis of the country studies on self-employed professionals presented in Chapter 4, by explaining variances and convergences among European countries, and aspects of continuity or discontinuity with the past. A common cross-country feature is that self-employed workers benefit from weaker social rights than regular employees. Thus, the chapter tries to answer the question whether self-employed workers are going to receive better social protection. Three degrees of social protection for the self-employed are identified across Europe. However, in order to reach an appropriate understanding of the complex and fragmented dynamics occurring in the European labour market, the chapter suggests a multidimensional interpretative approach is appropriate. This has to combine structural dimensions (e.g. a regulatory framework, an industrial relations system, economic development, cultural openness vis-à-vis new work arrangements, socio-demographic characteristics) with agency factors (e.g. institutional entrepreneurship, strategies emanating from unions, quasi-unions and labour market intermediaries) and political reforms.

Chapter 7 takes up the most relevant results that emerged in the various contributions of the book and underlines that the rise in the share of self-employed professionals has not yet been accompanied by a structural revision of the regulatory framework. There is a lack of comprehensive reform design regarding legal recognition and regulation, social protection systems and industrial relation models, which still need to be adapted to the new emerging demands. The challenges posed by new employment trends ask for new tailored and focused policy responses to support the equal treatment of workers, whatever their status. Among the many options assessed in the recent debate, the adoption of a universal rights approach, whatever the status and employment relationship, appears the most appropriate to address current and future trends in employment patterns. Fair working and payment conditions, standardized access to social rights (e.g. maternity and parental leaves, health insurance, safety at work), professional recognition and lifelong learning should transcend employment status and relationships with particular employers.