The Challenges of Self-Employment in Europe. Status, Social Protection and collective Representation

Since the 1990s, self-employed professionals have played a key role in satisfying the growing demand for flexible, skill-based and specialized competences in the service economy. The book explains variances in legal status, working conditions, social protection and collective representation of self-employed professionals across Europe. Virtually all capitalist economies deal with the challenges of transition to an on-demand economy, supported by unprecedented technological development and a digital revolution that has modified traditional professions and generated new ones. However, both institutional regulation and representation are unequal and remain fragmentary. Moreover, the demand for innovative (bottom-up) collective representation is challenging traditional industrial relations models. The book sheds light on conceptual definitions of the topic, provides new empirical insights and outlines effective policy indications. It presents a frame of self-employment in Europe and leads to a better understanding of the challenges that these new forms of work are opening up, offering both risks and opportunities in the labour market.