Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/33534 
Year of Publication: 
2006
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 1963
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We analyse the characteristics of workers who provide work on the basis of a civil or commercial contract, but who are dependent on or integrated into the firm for which they work. We argue that these dependent self-employed lose their rights under labour law, receive less favourable benefits from social security protection and are often beyond trade union representation and collective bargaining. Using data from the British Labour Force Survey we test two hypotheses: (1) Dependent self-employed workers are significantly different from both employees and (independent) self-employed individuals, thus forming a distinct group. (2) Dependent self-employed workers have lower labour market skills, less labour market attachment and, thus, less autonomy than self-employed workers. The data support our hypothesis that dependent self-employed workers are a distinct labour market group which differs from both employees and independent self-employed individuals. Men, older workers, those with low education and a low job tenure have greater odds of working in dependent self-employment than their counterparts. Our results suggest that dependent forms of self-employment are used by firms to increase labour flexibility.
Subjects: 
self-employment
dependency
outsourcing
JEL: 
K31
J21
L22
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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