Ensuring greater social protection for self-employed individuals has been the subject of much policy debate in recent years. In 2019, the European Council adopted a recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed. The sudden drops in income during the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the vulnerability of self-employed workers. Using data from the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey, this report examines the working conditions of different groups of self-employed. It analyses the measures taken at EU Member State level to better protect self-employed individuals against the risks of unemployment, workplace accidents and sickness, and draws on lessons learnt from measures implemented during the pandemic.
- Published in
- Ireland