Solo-Selbstständige – zwischen Selbstverwirklichung und Prekariat
Als Solo-Selbstständige werden diejenigen Gründerinnen und Gründer bezeichnet, die keine weiteren sozialversicherungspflichtigen Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer beschäftigen. Sie bilden mittlerweile die Mehrheit der beruflich Selbstständigen in Deutschland. Die Infoplattform informiert über die empirische Forschung zu den Solo-Selbstständigen.
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Literaturhinweis
Employment resilience and business organization: the case of Italian micro firms (2026)
Zitatform
Costa, Michele, Flavio Delbono & Francesco Linguiti (2026): Employment resilience and business organization: the case of Italian micro firms. In: Applied Economics, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2026.2613165
Abstract
"Testing resilience has become a widespread exercise in socio-economic literature, especially in the wake of macroeconomic shocks. Among the key factors driving the resilience of economic systems, we explore the role of business organizations, focusing on the cooperative model. Leveraging on data from Italian micro firms covering the period 2012–2022, which hosts the COVID-19 pandemic, we compare the employment resilience of cooperative enterprises with capitalist ones. Our findings suggest that while cooperative enterprises may appear to exhibit lower employment resilience compared to capitalist firms, they demonstrate greater resilience when accounting for changes in the number of firms. Additionally, our study found that cooperative enterprises consistently feature a higher ratio of labour cost to value added compared to capitalist firms, with the differential significantly increasing over the analysed period. Overall, our study highlights the growing relevance of cooperative organizations in shaping employment dynamics and labour productivity, emphasizing their distinct contributions amidst economic downturns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Self-employment, health, and health care: When the going gets tough, the tough get going? (2026)
Zitatform
Garrouste, Clémentine, Alain Paraponaris & Nicolas Sirven (2026): Self-employment, health, and health care: When the going gets tough, the tough get going? In: Economics and Human Biology, Jg. 60. DOI:10.1016/j.ehb.2025.101567
Abstract
"This study provides a life-course analysis of the relationship between self-employment, health, and health care use among individuals aged 50 and older in Europe. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we apply first-difference and dynamic panel data models that go beyond standard approaches in mitigating endogeneity concerns. Our findings show that the self-employed enjoy better health at younger ages, consistent with a selection effect. In addition, they experience a steeper decline in physical health over time. We also document two distinct phases of health care use: during working life, the self-employed are more likely to be hospitalised, suggesting delayed care until acute needs arise; after retirement, the number of medical visits increases, consistent with a lower opportunity cost of care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Untersuchung der sozialen Lage von Selbstständigen in Deutschland (2026)
Zitatform
Pöhler, Anne-Christin, Maximilian Priem, Liliana Cuccu, Holger Schütz & Maximilian Ponert (2026): Untersuchung der sozialen Lage von Selbstständigen in Deutschland. (Forschungsbericht / Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales 676), Berlin, 210 S.
Abstract
"Die vorliegende Studie erfasst die Prävalenz von selbstständiger Erwerbstätigkeit in ihren verschiedenen Ausprägungen und hat zum Ziel, die soziale Lage und die soziale Absicherung von Selbstständigen differenziert zu analysieren. Dazu wurde im Jahr 2024 eine bundesweite Befragung von über 2.000 Selbstständigen durchgeführt, die Informationen zu ihrer Erwerbssituation und - historie, zu ihren Einkommen, Finanzen und ihrer sozialen Vorsorge sowie soziodemographischen Merkmalen erhoben hat. Die große Mehrheit führt ihre Selbstständigkeit ausschließlich in der Haupttätigkeit aus (80,7 Prozent). Daneben beschreibt die Studie auch hybrid Selbstständige (15,9 Prozent), die gleichzeitig selbstständig erwerbstätig und abhängig beschäftigt sind. Im Durchschnitt befinden sich Selbstständige in Deutschland gemessen an ihrer Erwerbssituation, dem Haushaltseinkommen, dem Vermögen und der Wohnsituation in einer wirtschaftlich und sozial guten Lage. Gleichzeitig befindet sich ein Anteil von ungefähr 15 bis 25 Prozent der Selbstständigen in einer schlechten sozialen Lage. Dabei handelt es sich in erster Linie um Solo-Selbstständige, Frauen, Selbstständige mit direktem Migrationshintergrund und ausschließlich in Nebentätigkeit Selbstständige. In Bezug auf die soziale Absicherung finden sich ähnliche Muster: Die breite Mehrheit der Selbstständigen sichert sich für das Alter, gegen Einkommens- und Erwerbsausfälle und gegen Krankheit ab. Gleichzeitig findet sich ein nicht unerheblicher Teil, der sich nur unzureichend absichert und sich nicht ausreichend abgesichert fühlt. Die Möglichkeit, soziale Absicherungsinstrumente nutzen zu können, hängt stark mit der sozialen Lage zusammen. Selbstständige in schlechterer sozialer Lage sind häufiger auch nicht umfassend sozial abgesichert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners (2026)
Zitatform
Schneck, Stefan (2026): Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners. In: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Jg. 121. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2025.102506
Abstract
"The self-employed are their own bosses and make independent decisions on how to achieve their goals. We ask if the self-employed not only make professional decisions but also interfere in the private decisions of their partners. Using unique German panel data designed to study intimate relationships, we show a positive relationship between complaints about interference and the self-employment status of partners, which indicates that the self-employed dominate in business and private life. Estimates explaining the frequency of disagreements and quarrels between partners reveal that tensions are more commonly reported by respondents with self-employed partners. Moreover, we show that partners exercising control over their partners are a major source of conflicts at home. In this regard, the significant effect of having a self-employed partner can be attributed to the degree of governance the partner exercises over the respondent’s life. This study is the first to suggest that decision autonomy in the work sphere is associated with dominance in private life, harming relationships." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author.Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Self‐Employment and Labor Market Risks (2025)
Zitatform
Audoly, Richard (2025): Self‐Employment and Labor Market Risks. In: International Economic Review, Jg. 66, H. 2, S. 661-686. DOI:10.1111/iere.12732
Abstract
"I study the labor market risks associated with self-employment. I document that the self-employed are subject to larger earnings fluctuations than employees and frequently transition into unemployment. I analyze the provision of benefits targeted at these risks using a calibrated search model with (i) precautionary savings, (ii) work opportunities in paid- and self-employment, and (iii) skill heterogeneity. Extending the U.S. unemployment insurance scheme to the self-employed increases the transition rate from self-employment to unemployment and yields an unequal benefits to contributions ratio across skill groups. At the calibrated parameters, the self-employed in the middle of the skill distribution lose welfare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Are you in or are you out? A longitudinal person-centered study of health and entrance and exit into self-employment (2025)
Bergman, Louise E. ; Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia ; Bujacz, Aleksandra ; Toivanen, Susanna ; Leineweber, Constanze ;Zitatform
Bergman, Louise E., Aleksandra Bujacz, Constanze Leineweber, Susanna Toivanen & Claudia Bernhard-Oettel (2025): Are you in or are you out? A longitudinal person-centered study of health and entrance and exit into self-employment. In: Business research quarterly, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 678-694. DOI:10.1177/23409444241277831
Abstract
"This study addresses the scarcity of research on health developments in the heterogeneous group of self-employed workers. It aims at understanding typical health progressions in this group and associations with demographic factors, work characteristics, and self-employment decisions. We investigate health profiles based on mental health problems, self-rated health, and work satisfaction, as well as transitions between them in relation to work effort, reward, overcommitment, demographic characteristics, and entrance and exit into self-employment. Using latent transition analysis, we analyzed data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), including data from 593 participants. We identified four distinct, stable health profiles, revealing associations with work effort, reward, overcommitment, and self-employment decisions. No meaningful relations existed for demographic characteristics. Overall, the findings offer a comprehensive perspective on the health dynamics of self-employed individuals, their associations with work characteristics and decisions to enter and exit self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Theorising ‘best practice’ for supporting those furthest from the market into work or self-employment in France and England (2025)
Zitatform
Bika, Zografia, Catherine Locke, Caterina M. Orlandi & Benjamin Valcke (2025): Theorising ‘best practice’ for supporting those furthest from the market into work or self-employment in France and England. In: Journal of European Social Policy, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1177/09589287251384936
Abstract
"Mainstream/statutory Micro-Enterprise-and-Employment-Support-Services (MEESS) have delivered poor outcomes for disadvantaged individuals and deprived areas. In contrast, alternative third-sector socially-orientated MEESS show promising results but their well-recognised repertoire of ‘best practice’ remains under-theorised. This study addresses that gap using qualitative data from an innovative MEESS programme in deprived areas of England and France. Drawing on key-informant interviews and client ‘voices’, we explore how and why these alternative MEESS better engage disadvantaged people. Through a process-philosophy and life-course lens, we find that practitioners operate with a strength-building logic – emphasising responsive, place-embedded and long-term support that helps individuals reconnect with their aspirations. Our analysis highlights the importance of relational, tailored support in advancing inclusive enterprise/employment outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Expansion and job creation strategies in different solo self-employment segments (2025)
Zitatform
Cieslik, Jerzy, Ondřej Dvouletý & André van Stel (2025): Expansion and job creation strategies in different solo self-employment segments. In: International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Jg. 21, H. 1. DOI:10.1007/s11365-025-01129-x
Abstract
"The number of solo self-employed (those without employees) in Europe, and particularly the number of high-skilled solo self-employed (or independent professionals), has increased rapidly in the last two decades. Earlier research has found a low propensity among high-skilled solo self-employed to hire employees, even though many of them have growth ambitions. This low hiring propensity is worrying as it may hamper the number of newly created wage jobs in contemporary knowledge-based economies. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the growth ambitions of different segments of solo self-employed by analyzing their varying expansion strategies. From estimating a multinomial logistic regression model on a large sample of solo self-employed workers, our main finding is that high-skilled solo self-employed with a proven track record (by operating solo for at least five years) do not plan to hire employees. Instead, insofar as they have expansion plans, they prefer to work together with other self-employed individuals in a network or outsource tasks to subcontractors. Our study highlights the crucial role of collaborative networks, particularly among high-skilled professionals operating solo. Joining such networks helps avoiding certain drawbacks of solo operations while also allowing to realize expansion ambitions by engaging in larger projects that are impossible to execute independently. An implication of our study is that high-skilled professionals need to consider collaborative networks already at the planning stage of their business operations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Sociology of Self-Employment: A Typology and Reconciliation (2025)
Zitatform
Cohen, Rachel Lara (2025): The Sociology of Self-Employment: A Typology and Reconciliation. In: Sociology, Jg. 59, H. 5, S. 905-924. DOI:10.1177/00380385251324563
Abstract
"Self-employment accounts for a significant share of income-producing work but the ‘sociology of self-employment’ remains embryonic. This article argues that, to date, sociologists have viewed self-employment through discrete lenses, rooted in different intellectual traditions. A novel typology is developed that conceptually maps extant analyzes, revealing the variety of ways these lenses portray the relationship of self-employment to capitalism. The identified lenses are: (1) self-employment as residual; (2) self-employment as dynamic; (3) self-employment as hyper-exploitation; (4) self-employment as mundane; and (5) self-employment as ideology. The article suggests that the empirical complexity of self-employment as a phenomenon underpins this multiplicity of sociological conceptualizations. Self-employment is both driver and residuum of capitalist development; self-employed labor both potential (or at least putative) capitalist enterprise and the absence of waged-labour. Reconciling the sociology of self-employment requires we recognize and embrace this complexity for what it tells us about the conditions of work in contemporary capitalism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Soloselbständige und Kleinstunternehmende: Gut abgesichert im Alter? Ergebnisse einer ifo-Befragung (2025)
Demmelhuber, Katrin;Zitatform
Demmelhuber, Katrin (2025): Soloselbständige und Kleinstunternehmende: Gut abgesichert im Alter? Ergebnisse einer ifo-Befragung. In: ifo Schnelldienst digital, Jg. 6, H. 12, S. 1-7.
Abstract
"Die Bundesregierung plant, 2025 eine Rentenversicherungspflicht für neue Selbständige einzuführen, sofern keine andere Altersvorsorge existiert. Im Juni 2025 wurden im Rahmen der ifo Konjunkturumfragen Soloselbständige und Selbständige mit Kleinstunternehmen zu ihren Altersvorsorgeoptionen und der Einschätzung ihrer Absicherung im Alter befragt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass fast alle Befragten bereits Altersvorsorgeoptionen nutzen. Allerdings geht knapp ein Drittel der Teilnehmenden davon aus, dass sie ihren Lebensstandard im Alter nicht werden halten können. Etwa 46 % der Selbständigen schätzen ihre Vorsorge als ausreichend ein. Ein Vergleich der gewählten Altersvorsorgeoptionen und der Einschätzung der finanziellen Absicherung zeigt, dass diejenigen, die ihren Lebensstandard im Alter als gesichert betrachten, tendenziell mehr Altersvorsorgeoptionen nutzen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
To be or not to be. . . self-employed? Toward addressing the job quality debate and its challenges (2025)
Zitatform
Dixon, Jeffrey C. (2025): To be or not to be. . . self-employed? Toward addressing the job quality debate and its challenges. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, S. 1-25. DOI:10.1177/0143831x251380958
Abstract
"Self-employed workers’relative job quality is a matter of theoretical and policy debate. Whereas the precarity framework highlights employees’ good job quality especially compared to independent contractors, this study conceptualizes “self-employment/independent contractor configurations” as distinct groups of workers who differ in whether they report being self-employed and/or independent contractors, with different job quality implications. Based on multivariable analyses of data on multiple job quality dimensions (perceived job insecurity, autonomy, scheduling flexibility, satisfaction with fringe benefits, income), the results indicate the precarity framework best accounts for job quality dimensions like satisfaction with fringe benefits. Yet, job quality variation among self-employed workers is best captured by the conceptualization and complementary model I develop: for instance, although autonomy is hailed as a benefit of self-employment, independent contractors who do not identify as self-employed perceive less autonomy than self-employed independent contractors and similar levels as employees. Implications are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie") (2025)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2025): Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie"). In: IAB-Forum H. 04.06.2025, 2025-06-04. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250604.01
Abstract
"Über Solo- und Scheinselbstständigkeit bei Online-Lieferdiensten wird in der Öffentlichkeit häufig mit Sorge um die soziale Absicherung der dort tätigen Plattformarbeiter*innen diskutiert. Während sich die Erwerbstätigkeit in der Lieferdienstbranche zwischen 2012 und 2021 verdoppelt hat, hat der Anteil der Solo-Selbstständigen deutlich abgenommen. Im Jahr 2021 waren mehr als 95 Prozent der Lieferdienstfahrer*innen abhängig beschäftigt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: The Effects of Promoting (Youth) Entrepreneurship (2025)
Garcia, Sebastian Camarero; Henao, Leandro;Zitatform
Garcia, Sebastian Camarero & Leandro Henao (2025): Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: The Effects of Promoting (Youth) Entrepreneurship. (Ruhr economic papers 1189), Essen, 29 S. DOI:10.4419/96973374
Abstract
"Diese Studie nutzt administrative Daten zur Evaluation einer spanischen Reform aus dem Jahr 2013, die Sozialversicherungsbeiträge für junge Selbständige subventionierte. Anspruchsberechtigt waren Männer unter 30 Jahren und Frauen unter 35 Jahren mit einer aktiven Phase der Selbständigkeit im Februar 2013. Die Maßnahme verlängerte weder die Dauer der Selbständigkeit noch erhöhte sie die allgemeinen Beschäftigungswahrscheinlichkeiten. Männliche Selbständige verzeichneten keine signifikanten Einkommensänderungen, während Frauen, die innerhalb von zwei Jahren in abhängige Beschäftigung zurückkehrten, einen Zuwachs der monatlichen Löhne von rund 14% erzielten, hauptsächlich durch Übergänge in höher entlohnte Tätigkeiten im Dienstleistungssektor. Diese Einkommensgewinne konzentrierten sich auf Frauen mit einem höheren Arbeitslosigkeitsrisiko, etwa Mütter und Frauen in ländlichen Regionen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Proactive coping and job insecurity among solo self-employed workers: Investigating a cyclic model with monthly measures (2025)
Zitatform
Langerak, Judith B., Edwin A.J. van Hooft & Jessie Koen (2025): Proactive coping and job insecurity among solo self-employed workers: Investigating a cyclic model with monthly measures. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 162. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104176
Abstract
"Job insecurity can harm workers' health and work performance. Adding to prior research that has mostly identified ways to minimize job insecurity among regular workers (e.g., employment protection legislation), the current research focusses on solo self-employed workers to investigate whether they can influence job insecurity by their own means. Based on proactive coping theory and conservation of resources theory, we propose a cyclic model in which proactive coping and job insecurity influence each other. We expect that more proactive coping during a month relates to less current job insecurity through the accumulation of career resources during the month and that current job insecurity relates to less proactive coping during the next month through psychological strain. We test whether trait self-compassion and recovery experiences mitigate this negative relationship of job insecurity via psychological strain with later proactive coping. The multi-level path modelling results from a 5-wave monthly survey study among 243 solo self-employed workers show that proactive coping during a month decreases current job insecurity via increased career resources. However, while current job insecurity positively related to current psychological strain, this strain was not related to proactive coping during the next month. We found some indication that trait self-compassion may weaken the negative relationship of job insecurity with psychological strain, but found no moderating role of recovery experiences. Instead, recovery experiences directly positively related to proactive coping. We recommend future researchers to further investigate our cyclic model and to sample less advantaged workers to gain better insight into potential loss cycles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Self-Employment as a Signal: Career Concerns with Hidden Firm Performance (2025)
Lukyanov, Georgy; Popov, Konstantin; Lashkery, Shubh;Zitatform
Lukyanov, Georgy, Konstantin Popov & Shubh Lashkery (2025): Self-Employment as a Signal: Career Concerns with Hidden Firm Performance. (arXiv papers), 30 S.
Abstract
"We study a dynamic labor market in which a risk-averse worker with career concerns chooses each period between self-employment, which generates publicly observed binary output, and employment at a firm, which pays a flat wage but keeps individual performance hidden from the outside market. The worker values future opportunities through a reputation for talent, understood as the public belief used by firms to set wages. Firms may be myopic, pricing only off public beliefs, or sophisticated, inferring from who is expected to apply. Three forces organize the results: an insurance - information trade-off, selection by talent, and inference from application decisions. A self-confirming absorbing hidden-employment region arises naturally when the value of insurance dominates the value of additional public signals, so some workers optimally stop generating public information. At any public belief there is a unique talent cutoff governing selection into self-employment, and sophisticated firms, by internalizing application-based inference, compress wages and induce different patterns of public information production than myopic firms. The framework yields testable predictions for the prevalence of self-employment, switching into opaque jobs, and wage dynamics across markets with different degrees of performance transparency." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Representing and organizing the solo self-employed in Europe: The emergence of a ‘relational representation’ from the combination of prefigurative and contentious politics (2025)
Zitatform
Mezihorak, Petr & Annalisa Murgia (2025): Representing and organizing the solo self-employed in Europe: The emergence of a ‘relational representation’ from the combination of prefigurative and contentious politics. In: Organization, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1177/13505084241310282
Abstract
"Collective representation is traditionally associated with employees, while solo self-employed (SSE) workers, in both regulated and unregulated professions, are usually considered to be autonomous and therefore not in need of representation. However, in recent years, the SSE have increasingly represented their interests collectively, although often outside traditional representative organizations such as trade unions, employer organizations, and professional and business associations. By drawing on two case studies conducted within associations of unregulated SSE based in Germany and Italy, this article introduces the concept of ‘relational representation’. In particular, our findings show how a relational representation acts to support workers’ autonomy by promoting the building of relationships, and at the same time by mobilising both prefigurative and conflictual ways of doing politics, traditionally considered as alternatives. Drawing on feminist relational approaches to (inter)dependence and autonomy, the article discusses three organisational practices that allow for relational representation: engaging with welfare institutions on common professional conditions; redefining relations between representatives and represented; and promoting the exchange of experiences and interests among members." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023) (2025)
Zitatform
Peters, Eileen, Merle Pohlmeyer & Karin Schulze Buschoff (2025): Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023). In: Social indicators research, Jg. 180, H. 1, S. 183-204. DOI:10.1007/s11205-025-03640-8
Abstract
"Previous research indicates that the self-employed have higher subjective well-being (SWB) than employees. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many self-employed individuals experienced exceptionally high levels of economic stress due to limited government and social security support. This is especially true of the solo self-employed (i.e., self-employed without employees). Drawing on nationally representative panel data spanning the years 2019–2023—and thus the onset, peak, and fading out of the pandemic—we used fixed-effects regression models to analyze the SWB trajectories of the solo self-employed and employees in Germany in terms of life satisfaction and job satisfaction. Our results show that SWB was only moderately affected in 2020 but declined steeply in 2021. Although life satisfaction recovered moderately in 2022 and 2023, it remained substantially lower than pre-pandemic levels. The life satisfaction of the solo self-employed decreased more strongly than that of employees in 2020 and 2021. Job satisfaction also saw a steep decline in 2021, with solo self-employed individuals experiencing a greater drop than employees. However, the job satisfaction of the solo self-employed returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, whereas that of employees continued to decline in 2022 and 2023. These insights shed light on how the SWB of different employment groups was affected during this unprecedented crisis and provide valuable information for more effective interventions in future crises." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Entrepreneurial worries: Self-employment and potential loss of well-being (2024)
Zitatform
Binder, Martin (2024): Entrepreneurial worries: Self-employment and potential loss of well-being. In: Journal of Economic Psychology, Jg. 105. DOI:10.1016/j.joep.2024.102773
Abstract
"The relationship between self-employment and life satisfaction has been shown to be heterogeneous in the literature. This paper analyzes a channel through which lower well-being can come about for the self-employed, namely, their worries about their business (“entrepreneurial worries”). Using a two-way fixed effects estimator on German panel data (1984–2020), I find no overall effect of becoming self-employed on life satisfaction, and heterogeneity analysis shows that only those self-employed individuals who change from unemployment to self-employment report higher life satisfaction. Mediation analysis reveals that worries about one’s financial situation (and, to some extent, job security) mediate the relationship between self-employment and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction decreases as self-employed individuals worry more about their financial situation as a result of becoming self-employed. Only if one does not worry about one’s financial situation at all does self-employment contributepositively to life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Solo self-employment - Key policy challenges (2024)
Zitatform
Cieslik, Jerzy & André van Stel (2024): Solo self-employment - Key policy challenges. In: Journal of Economic Surveys, Jg. 38, H. 3, S. 759-792. DOI:10.1111/joes.12559
Abstract
"This study reviews key policy challenges relating to solo self-employed workers––the segment with increasing shares in the workforce in most developed countries in recent decades. We document that this segment attracts the attention of policymakers within four policy domains: addressing decent work deficits, entrepreneurship and small business policies, activating marginalized groups through self-employment, and improving the well-being of the solo self-employed. We offer an integrative framework enabling the analysis of synergies and contradictions of the various policy initiatives targeting the solo self-employed. The study argues that workers who persistently employ only themselves should be understood as a (third) segment of the labor market qualitatively distinct from the traditionally defined categories of “employee” or “employer.” A policy-oriented segmentation of the contemporary workforce using this “blurred trinary divide” is proposed with size estimates of its key segments and subsegments. Finally, the study discusses the prospects of the solo self-employed in the emerging post-pandemic economy and offers recommendations regarding future research and data collection." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Entrepreneur characteristics and determinants of self-employment across Europe (2024)
Zitatform
Coates, Dermot & Martina Lawless (2024): Entrepreneur characteristics and determinants of self-employment across Europe. (ESRI working paper / Economic and Social Research Institute 772), Dublin, 38 S.
Abstract
"Entrepreneurship is a key driver of jobs and innovation. This paper examines the prevalence of entrepreneurship across Europe and characteristics of those who become entrepreneurs. We place a particular focus on the distinction between opportunity and necessity motivations for becoming self-employed. The results in this paper find that one of the most significant barriers to entrepreneurship in Europe is lack of access to finance although this is noticeably lower in Ireland. Examining the characteristics of the self-employed, we find that participation by women and those in younger age cohorts (19-24 and 25-29) are significantly lower than for other groups. The results also suggest that considerations related to personal finances are amongst the main difficulties encountered in being selfemployed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Labour costs and the decision to hire the first employee (2024)
Zitatform
Cockx, Bart & Sam Desiere (2024): Labour costs and the decision to hire the first employee. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 170. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104859
Abstract
"Firms without paid employees account for up to 80 % of all firms, but only a small minority ever hires. This paper investigates the relationship between labour costs and the decision to hire a first employee and become an employer. Leveraging a unique policy in Belgium that permanently reduced the labour cost of the first employee by 13 %, we find that the number of new, first-time employers jumped by 31 % immediately following the reform. The elasticity of the probability to hire the first employee with respect to the labour cost is −2.39 [95 % CI: −3.45, −1.25]." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment and Self-Employment (2024)
Zitatform
Denderski, Piotr & Florian Sniekers (2024): Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment and Self-Employment. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 134, H. 659, S. 1100-1145. DOI:10.1093/ej/uead093
Abstract
"In most OECD countries, unemployment rates show no trend, which is puzzling if advancements in information and communication technologies decrease labor-market frictions. We show, both analytically and quantitatively, that accounting for the secular decline in self-employment rates solves the puzzle. While declining labor-market frictions can theoretically explain these trends, we provide contradictory causal evidence that the roll-out of broadband internet has increased self-employment and decreased unemployment rates. We reconcile these observations with a new model featuring frictions in both labour and goods markets. We explain falling self-employment and non-trending unemployment quantitatively by labor-market frictions declining relatively more than goods-market frictions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Does self-employment provide a bridge to retirement? (2024)
Zitatform
Hoogendoorn, Brigitte, Martha O'Hagan-Luff, Sanaz Ramezani & André van Stel (2024): Does self-employment provide a bridge to retirement? In: Cambridge Journal of Economics, Jg. 48, H. 4, S. 767-784. DOI:10.1093/cje/beae016
Abstract
"Non-employment including early retirement among individuals of older working age is a considerable concern. As life expectancies across the developed world continue to increase, individuals’ retirement savings often turn out tobe inadequate. In policy circles, given the increasing old-age dependency ratio, self-employment is often seen as a potential route to extend the working lives of older labour force participants. By studying labour market switches of wage workers of 50 years and older, we investigate to what extent self-employment serves as a bridge to retirement. Using a longitudinal data base in European countries over the period 2005–2015, our findings suggest that although self-employment does serve as a bridge to retirement, this is much less likely to be the case for precarious wage workers—especially those with poor job prospects—than for wage workers at the higher end of the labour market, including those who are in good health and who have good job prospects in their current wage job. We also find that wage workers with precarious job conditions are more likely to switch into non-employment rather than into self-employment. Policy implications are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
An Effective protection against unemployment for self-employed and platform workers? The intriguing case of Denmark (2024)
Zitatform
Jacqueson, Catherine (2024): An Effective protection against unemployment for self-employed and platform workers? The intriguing case of Denmark. In: European Journal of Social Security, Jg. 26, H. 2, S. 140-154. DOI:10.1177/13882627241270473
Abstract
"This article discusses whether self-employed and platform workers in Denmark have effective access to the unemployment insurance scheme. The Danish case is intriguing in a comparative context. Unlike other European States, it has been possible in Denmark for the self-employed to formally access the unemployment scheme since 1976. The system is also interesting as it is rather flexible, and was recently adapted to meet the challenges of changing work patterns and an increase in atypical forms of work, such as platform work. Yet, it is argued that important barriers to effective coverage remain. Some barriers, such as the voluntary character of the insurance and its eligibility criteria, are common to all persons with low and irregular work. Other barriers are specific to the self-employed and relate to the conditions for proving the closing down of business, and to waiting periods." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Trotz Krisen versichern sich Selbstständige weiterhin kaum gegen Arbeitslosigkeit (2024)
Zitatform
Jahn, Elke & Michael Oberfichtner (2024): Trotz Krisen versichern sich Selbstständige weiterhin kaum gegen Arbeitslosigkeit. In: IAB-Forum H. 10.09.2024. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240910.01
Abstract
"Selbstständige können sich in Deutschland unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen gegen Arbeitslosigkeit versichern. Vor der Covid-19-Pandemie und dem russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine haben nur relativ wenige Selbstständige diese Möglichkeit genutzt. Neuere Daten der Bundesagentur für Arbeit geben nun Aufschluss darüber, ob sich angesichts dieser beiden Krisen und der gestiegenen Unsicherheit inzwischen mehr Selbstständige für diese Absicherung entscheiden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Racial Capitalism and Entrepreneurship: An Intersectional Feminist Labour Market Perspective on UK Self-Employment (2024)
Zitatform
Martinez Dy, Angela, Dilani Jayawarna & Susan Marlow (2024): Racial Capitalism and Entrepreneurship: An Intersectional Feminist Labour Market Perspective on UK Self-Employment. In: Sociology, Jg. 58, H. 5, S. 1038-1060. DOI:10.1177/00380385241228444
Abstract
"This article explains entrepreneurial activity patterns in the United Kingdom labour market using theories of racial capitalism and intersectional feminism. Using UK Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey data 2018–2019 and employing probit modelling techniques on employment modes, self-employment types and work arrangements among differing groups, we investigate inequality in self-employment within and between socio-structural groupings of race, class and gender. We find that those belonging to non-dominant gender, race and socio-economic class groupings experience an intersecting set of entrepreneurial penalties, enhancing understanding of the ways multiple social hierarchies interact in self-employment patterns. This robust quantitative evidence challenges contemporary debates, policy and practice regarding the potential for entrepreneurship to offer viable income generation opportunities by those on the socio-economic margins." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Income and consumption inequality trends: a comparative analysis between paid employees and the self-employed (2024)
Zitatform
Sadaf, Sadaf (2024): Income and consumption inequality trends: a comparative analysis between paid employees and the self-employed. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 58. DOI:10.1186/s12651-024-00372-z
Abstract
"This paper aims to analyze trends in income and consumption inequality for paid and self-employed households and examine to what extent changes in aggregate consumption and income inequality can be explained by changes in their permanent and transitory components over time using data from the Italian Survey of Household Wealth (SHIW) covering the period 1989-2016. The results obtained from the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) analysis reveal differences in consumption and income inequality, as well as their permanent and transitory components, between self-employed and payroll households. In particular, self-employed households experience higher levels of both income and consumption inequality, the increase in total income and consumption inequality is mainly driven by an increase in its transitory component. Furthermore, findings from other descriptive measures of inequality, such as the Gini coefficient, the variance of the log, 90th/10th, and 50th/10th percentile ratios, support the notion that income inequality is higher than consumption inequality across all groups, with self-employed households exhibiting a more pronounced difference." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Unternehmerisches Selbstverständnis von Selbständigen in Deutschland: Tätigkeitsmerkmale, soziale Sicherung und Einstellungen (2024)
Schäfer, Holger; Stettes, Oliver; Schleiermacher, Thomas;Zitatform
Schäfer, Holger, Oliver Stettes & Thomas Schleiermacher (2024): Unternehmerisches Selbstverständnis von Selbständigen in Deutschland: Tätigkeitsmerkmale, soziale Sicherung und Einstellungen. (IW-Gutachten), Köln, 91 S.
Abstract
"Eine Reihe von Studien kartografiert regelmäßig Ausmaß und Struktur von (Solo-)Selbstständigkeit. Ein Beispiel sind die Forschungsberichte des Bundesministeriums für Arbeit und Soziales (Brenke/Beznoska, 2016; Maier/Ivanov, 2018; Bonin et al., 2020; Bonin et al., 2022), in denen unter anderem die Entwicklung der Anzahl von Solo-Selbstständigen, die unterschiedlichen Charakteristika von (Solo-)Selbstständigkeit, die Dynamik selbstständiger Tätigkeit (Zugänge, Abgänge etc.), das zeitliche Arbeitsangebot und die Einkommenssituation sowie Aspekte der Altersvorsorge/-sicherung beschrieben werden. Darüber hinaus existieren viele Einzelstudien, die spezifische Sachverhalte analysieren – zum Beispiel Günter/Marder-Puch (2019) zu Motiven für Gründung und Kennzeichen der wirtschaftlichen Aktivität, Dietrich/Patzina (2017) zum potenziellen Ausmaß von Scheinselbstständigkeit, Allensbach/DIWecon/ADESW (2018), Allensbach/ADESW (2019), IMI/ADESW (2020) sowie ifo/ADESW (2021) zu verschiedenen Aspekten der Tätigkeit von IT-Selbstständigen und Wissensarbeitern oder VGSD (2019) zu den Folgen der Rechtsunsicherheit für Freiberufler. Lubczyk et al. (2020) untersuchen die Auswirkungen des allgemeinen gesetzlichen Mindestlohns auf die Solo-Selbstständigkeit, während Jahn/Oberfichtner (2020a) die Auswirkungen der Covid-Pandemie auf die Bereitschaft zur Selbstständigkeit analysieren." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Market Dependence as a Boundary Construction for Work Solidarity with the Solo Self-employed (2024)
Zitatform
Stamm, Isabell Kathrin, Lena Schürmann & Katharina Scheidgen (2024): Market Dependence as a Boundary Construction for Work Solidarity with the Solo Self-employed. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 6, S. 1528-1548. DOI:10.1177/09500170231206083
Abstract
"As more people work outside standard employment, the foundations of work solidarity are contested. How does work solidarity arise in atypical forms of work that are characterised by flexible, autonomous and self-dependent organisation, such as in solo self-employment? Drawing on a discursive approach to work solidarity, this article emphasises how market dependence can serve as a boundary construction to create work solidarity. Empirically, this study engages in a discourse analysis on Soforthilfe, a policy measure introduced by the German government to financially assist solo self-employed people during the Covid-19 lockdown. In this discourse, market dependence serves to identify this social group’s need (social boundary) and to set out the corresponding policies for financial assistance (substantive boundary). Four solidarity norms – relief, equality, preservation and quasi-equivalence – support this boundary construction. The article contributes to the current discourse on work solidarity by identifying an additional boundary construction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Independent Contractor Workforce: New Evidence on Its Size and Composition and Ways to Improve Its Measurement in Household Surveys (2023)
Zitatform
Abraham, Katharine G., Brad J. Hershbein, Susan N. Houseman & Beth C. Truesdale (2023): The Independent Contractor Workforce: New Evidence on Its Size and Composition and Ways to Improve Its Measurement in Household Surveys. (Upjohn Institute working paper 380), Kalamazoo, Mich., 52 S. DOI:10.17848/wp23-380
Abstract
"Good data on the size and composition of the independent contractor workforce are elusive, with household survey and administrative tax data often disagreeing on levels and trends. We carried out a series of focus groups to learn how self-employed independent contractors speak about their work. Based on these findings, we designed and fielded a large-scale telephone survey to elicit more accurate and complete information on independent contractors, including those who may be coded incorrectly as employees in conventional household survey data and those who are independent contractors in a secondary work activity. We find that, upon probing, roughly one in 10 workers who initially reports working for an employer on one or more jobs (and thus is coded as an employee) is in fact an independent contractor on at least one of those jobs. Incorporating these miscoded workers into estimates of work arrangement on the main job nearly doubles the share who are independent contractors, to about 15 percent of all workers. Young workers, less-educated workers, workers of color, multiple-job holders, and those with low hours are more likely to be miscoded. Taking these workers into account substantively changes the demographic profile of the independent contractor workforce. Our research indicates that probing in household surveys to clarify a worker’s employment arrangement and identify all low-hours work is critical for accurately measuring independent contractor work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Towards a Reserve Army of Highly Skilled Labour? The Politics of Solo Self-Employment in the Knowledge Economy (2023)
Borg, Maxime;Zitatform
Borg, Maxime (2023): Towards a Reserve Army of Highly Skilled Labour? The Politics of Solo Self-Employment in the Knowledge Economy. (SocArXiv papers), 46 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/yq2f6
Abstract
"Prevailing political economic theories on the segmentation of the labor market all rely on the assumption that workers with tertiary education possess significant bargaining power in the knowledge economy due to the strategic importance of their human capital for firms. This paper argues that this empowerment thesis is not empirically founded. The surplus of interchangeable workers equipped with general skills in the knowledge economy actually reinforces employers in the labor-capital power dynamics. This context allows employers to reduce labor costs by imposing subcontracting and flexible work arrangements on highly skilled workers. Until now, these practices were believed to be prevalent only among low-skilled workers. This paper investigates this transformation through the lens of solo self-employment. Drawing on data obtained from 22 European countries spanning from 2014 to 2021, this article presents findings suggesting that the transition to the knowledge economy incentivises employers to adopt a new division of labor predicated on the development of networks of subcontracting and flexible highly skilled workers, particularly in economies with strict employment protection legislation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Vom Umgang mit Regulierungslücken: Solo-Selbstständigkeit und Tarifautonomie (2023)
Buschoff, Karin Schulze;Zitatform
Buschoff, Karin Schulze (2023): Vom Umgang mit Regulierungslücken: Solo-Selbstständigkeit und Tarifautonomie. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 76, H. 3, S. 202-210. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2023-3-202
Abstract
"Solo-Selbstständige befinden sich oftmals in einer prekären Situation. Sie verdienen im Schnitt weniger als abhängig Beschäftigte und sind aufgrund der strukturellen Unterlegenheit oft nicht in der Lage, einzeln gute Arbeitsbedingungen auszuhandeln. Ihre Benachteiligung wird durch Lücken im Arbeits- und Sozialrecht noch verstärkt. Um die Lücken der arbeits- und sozialrechtlichen Absicherung zu schließen, bedarf es legislativer Anstrengungen. Dazu gehört, Mindestentgeltregelungen zu etablieren und die gesetzlichen Grundlagen für Tarifverhandlungen für Solo-Selbstständige zu festigen. Hierbei sind sowohl der Gesetzgeber als auch die Sozialpartner gefragt. Eine Herausforderung für die Sozialpartner ist es, die gesetzlichen Möglichkeiten für Tarifverhandlungen zu nutzen. Grünes Licht dafür kommt vonseiten der Europäischen Union. Die EU-Leitlinie zu Tarifverträgen für Solo-Selbstständige bietet Rechtssicherheit, indem sie klarstellt, wann Tarifverträge für Solo-Selbstständige wettbewerbsrechtlich unbedenklich sind. Dies ist als Meilenstein in Richtung Stärkung sozialer Rechte Selbstständiger auf der EU-Ebene zu werten, dem hoffentlich Initiativen auf nationaler Ebene folgen werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
How does institutional context shape work-related functionings for regular and self-employed workers? A contextualised application of the capability approach to Belgium, France and the Netherlands (2023)
Zitatform
Focacci, Chiara Natalie & François Pichault (2023): How does institutional context shape work-related functionings for regular and self-employed workers? A contextualised application of the capability approach to Belgium, France and the Netherlands. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 43, H. 13/14, S. 36-61. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-12-2022-0312
Abstract
"Purpose: According to Sen's theoretical framework of capability (1985), individuals reach their full potential once they have the freedom, intended as the set of functionings at their disposal, to do so. However, many critiques have been developed against the lack of embeddedness of the capability approach in social and political relations and structures. In this article, the authors investigate the influence of three institutional contexts (Belgium, the Netherlands and France) on the respective work-related functionings of self-employed and regular workers, with a focus on human capital investment and institutional support offered to them. Design/methodology/approach Data from the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) are used to highlight similarities and differences in building work-related functionings for regular and self-employed workers. A regression analysis is provided at the country level. Findings In the three labor markets, the authors find that the building of work-related functionings is more successful for regular employees, especially as regards institutional support. Self-employed workers, on the other hand, need to rely on their individual capability as regards employment protection and human capital investment. However, the authors find interesting differences between the three institutional contexts. In both Belgium and France, self-employed workers are subject to higher instability in terms of changes in salary and hours worked, whereas atypical work is better positioned in the Dutch labour market. The Netherlands is also characterized by a less significant gap between regular and self-employed workers with respect to participation in training. Originality/value In this article, the authors contextualise Sen's (1985) theoretical framework by taking into account the institutional differences of labor markets. In particular, the authors provide a novel application of his capability approach to regular and self-employed workers in an economically relevant European area." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Embedded Strangers in One's Own Job? Freelance Interpreters' Invisible Work: A Practice Theory Approach (2023)
Zitatform
Giustini, Deborah (2023): Embedded Strangers in One's Own Job? Freelance Interpreters' Invisible Work: A Practice Theory Approach. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 952-971. DOI:10.1177/09500170211059351
Abstract
"This article investigates invisible work, as voiced by professionals in the interpreting sector in the UK. Informed by a practice theory approach alongside the sociology of invisible work, it re-frames invisibility as enacted according to the elements that organise and motivate work in terms of purposeful, normative and skilful actions. Drawing on a qualitative dataset of 20 observations and 46 interviews with interpreters, the article conceives invisibility as a functional labour logic in which compliance and resistance to being unseen are the twofold cornerstone of professionalism but also of devaluation. As a freelance workforce, interpreters face contradictions between deontological and stakeholders’ expectations of invisibility, and the individual need of displaying an expert role for securing work continuity. This article contributes to social practice and invisible work literature by uncovering the performative interrelation of the work dynamics which demand a negotiation of hidden/visible status." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Zur aktuellen und zukünftigen wirtschaftlichen Lage von Selbständigen (2023)
Zitatform
Heller, Jonas, Stefan Sauer & Klaus Wohlrabe (2023): Zur aktuellen und zukünftigen wirtschaftlichen Lage von Selbständigen. In: Ifo-Schnelldienst, Jg. 76, H. 1, S. 39-43.
Abstract
"Einzelunternehmen und Kleinstunternehmen stellen mit rund 83% den größten Teil der Unternehmen in Deutschland dar. Auf Basis der ifo Konjunkturumfragen berechnet das ifo Institut seit August 2021 auch Konjunkturindikatoren für diese wichtige Gruppe. Unter anderem wird monatlich der »Jimdo-ifo Geschäftsklimaindex für Selbständige« als Hauptindikator veröffentlicht. Dieser liegt derzeit merklich im negativen Bereich, auch wenn er sich zum Jahresende 2022 etwas erholte. Während sich bei der Beurteilung der aktuellen Geschäftslage die positiven und negativen Einschätzungen die Waage halten, überwiegen bei den Erwartungen für die kommenden Monate die skeptischen Stimmen klar. Bezüglich des zukünftigen Geschäftsverlaufs herrscht eine überaus große Unsicherheit vor. Dies führt dazu, dass sich im Vergleich zur Gesamtwirtschaft ein deutlich höherer Anteil der Selbständigen in ihrer Existenz bedroht sehen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Grey workers in the European Union: precariousness among economically dependent solo self-employed (2023)
Zitatform
Majetić, Filip, Miroslav Rajter & Chiara Bassetti (2023): Grey workers in the European Union: precariousness among economically dependent solo self-employed. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 43, H. 7/8, S. 609-625. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-05-2022-0126
Abstract
"Purpose: This explorative study aims to investigate work precariousness (WP) among EU27-based economically dependent solo self-employed, i.e. those with no employees and usually relying on just one client. Design/methodology/approach: Univariate and multivariate analyses of European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) (2015) and Eurostat data. Findings: The analyses yielded Disempowerment, intended as lack of job autonomy and money-induced Vulnerability as the dimensions of WP. Disempowerment was found positively influenced by workers' threat of losing the job and negatively by the enjoyment from being their own boss. Vulnerability was negatively influenced by workers' age, perceived easiness to find new customers, household's financial well-being as well as the country's employment rate. Originality/value: The study represents pioneer exploration of the phenomenon's dimensionality and main determinants." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
KfW-Gründungsmonitor 2023: Gründungstätigkeit in Deutschland: im Spannungsfeld zwischen Fachkräftemangel und Corona-Blues (2023)
Metzger, Georg;Zitatform
Metzger, Georg (2023): KfW-Gründungsmonitor 2023: Gründungstätigkeit in Deutschland: im Spannungsfeld zwischen Fachkräftemangel und Corona-Blues. (KfW-Gründungsmonitor), Frankfurt am Main, 10 S.
Abstract
"Die Gründungstätigkeit in Deutschland ist im Jahr 2022 auf 550.000 Existenzgründungen zurückgegangen. Davon waren 222.000 Vollerwerbsgründungen (40%), und 328.000 Nebenerwerbsgründungen. Bei jeder fünften Nebenerwerbsgründung besteht allerdings die Absicht, die Selbstständigkeit zum Vollerwerb auszuweiten. Die anhaltend gute Arbeitsmarktentwicklung hat maßgeblich zu diesem Rückgang beigetragen. Der Fachkräftemangel bleibt auch in Zukunft eine große Herausforderung für die Gründungstätigkeit. Insgesamt ist vor allem die Zahl der Gründerinnen gesunken, während sich die Zahl der Gründer kaum veränderte." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Representing Solo Self-Employed Workers: The Strengthening of Relations between Traditional and New Collective Actors in Industrial Relations (2023)
Zitatform
Mezihorak, Petr, Annalisa Murgia, Paolo Borghi & Mathilde Mondon-Navazo (2023): Representing Solo Self-Employed Workers: The Strengthening of Relations between Traditional and New Collective Actors in Industrial Relations. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 1013-1031. DOI:10.1177/09500170211061227
Abstract
"To date, the emergence of representation of hitherto under-represented workers has mainly been analysed in terms of strategic choices of traditional industrial relations actors. This study – focused on solo self-employed workers (SSE) – instead analyses the interactions between unions, employer organisations and new collective actors, namely SSE associations. More specifically, drawing on a comparative ethnography conducted in three European countries, it conceptualises the representation of SSE as a ‘subfield’ of the ‘parent field’ of employee and employer representation and shows how interactions between traditional and new collective actors consolidate the subfield of SSE representation by also shaping the industrial relations’ institutions. This article thus contributes, first, to the debate about the representation of under-represented workers by emphasising the importance of interactions between traditional and new actors in industrial relations, and second, to the theory of fields by conceptualising interactions as a central element of field-level change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Der Einsatz von Solo-Selbstständigen und Angehörigen von Fremdfirmen in deutschen Unternehmen: Eine Analyse auf Basis des IW-Personalpanels 2022 (2023)
Stettes, Oliver;Zitatform
Stettes, Oliver (2023): Der Einsatz von Solo-Selbstständigen und Angehörigen von Fremdfirmen in deutschen Unternehmen. Eine Analyse auf Basis des IW-Personalpanels 2022. (IW-Gutachten), Köln, 70 S.
Abstract
"In rund jedem vierten Unternehmen in Deutschland waren im Jahr 2021 freie Mitarbeiter/Solo-Selbstständige oder Angehörige von Fremdfirmen im Rahmen von Dienst- bzw. Werkverträgen tätig. Dies ist das Ergebnis einer empirischen Analyse auf Basis der 29. und 30. Welle des IW-Personalpanels aus dem Frühjahr und Sommer 2022." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Solo-Selbstständige und Werkvertragsbeschäftigte als Katalysatoren des digitalen Wandels in deutschen Unternehmen (2023)
Stettes, Oliver;Zitatform
Stettes, Oliver (2023): Solo-Selbstständige und Werkvertragsbeschäftigte als Katalysatoren des digitalen Wandels in deutschen Unternehmen. In: IW-Trends, Jg. 50, H. 1, S. 63-80. DOI:10.2373/1864-810X.23-01-04
Abstract
"In rund jedem vierten Unternehmen in Deutschland waren im Jahr 2021 Solo-Selbstständige oder Angehörige von Fremdfirmen im Rahmen von Dienst- oder Werkverträgen tätig. Dies ist das Ergebnis einer empirischen Analyse auf Basis der 29. und 30. Welle des IW-Personalpanels aus dem Frühjahr und Sommer 2022. Die Unternehmen setzen auf Solo-Selbstständige und Werkvertragsbeschäftigte aus Fremdfirmen, weil ihr zusätzlicher Personalbedarf zeitlich begrenzt ist, sie diesen mit Fremdpersonal schnell befriedigen können und zudem Zugang zu spezifischem Know-how erhalten, das ansonsten in der Belegschaft nicht vorhanden ist. Zudem übt ihr Einsatz eine Versicherungsfunktion aus. Der Einsatz von Fremdpersonal ist ein Katalysator für die digitale Transformation auf Unternehmensebene. Solo-Selbstständige spielen dabei eher eine wichtige Rolle bei der Einführung von digitalen Grenztechnologien, während Fremdfirmen mit ihren Werkvertragsbeschäftigten eher bei der Implementierung reiferer Technologiearten zum Einsatz kommen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
New Work zwischen Entgrenzung und Empowerment (2023)
Urban, Hans-Jürgen;Zitatform
Urban, Hans-Jürgen (2023): New Work zwischen Entgrenzung und Empowerment. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, Jg. 73, H. 46, S. 17-22.
Abstract
"Der Begriff "New Work" ist in aller Munde. Dabei ist New Work kein exakt definierter Terminus technicus. Vielmehr kann er in der aktuellen Debatte als Chiffre für alles verstanden werden, was neu an der Arbeit der Zukunft sein oder vermutet wird, und zugleich für das, was neu sein soll. Somit findet New Work als analytischer, prognostischer und zugleich als normativer Begriff Anwendung. Begriffshistorisch geht der Terminus "New Work" auf den Sozialphilosophen Frithjof Bergmann zurück. Er stellte ihn in das Zentrum seiner Anthropologie und Sozialtheorie. In dieser formulierte Bergmann das Zielbild einer befreiten (Erwerbs-)Arbeit, in der die Menschen nur das verrichten, "was sie wirklich, wirklich wollen." Das Ziel der Neuen Arbeit bestehe nicht darin, "die Menschen von der Arbeit zu befreien, sondern die Arbeit so zu transformieren, damit sie freie, selbstbestimmte, menschliche Wesen hervorbringt." Die Konzepte von New Work in den gegenwärtigen arbeitswissenschaftlichen und politischen Debatten haben sich zumeist vom sozialutopischen Gehalt der bergmannschen Ideen entfernt. Das Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft begreift New Work als einen "Sammelbegriff für Konzepte und Maßnahmen zur Gestaltung zukunftsfähiger, wertschöpfender und sinnstiftender Arbeit sowie deren Bedingungen und Umgebungen." Die Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft definiert New Work als eine "erwerbsorientierte Arbeit mit einer Arbeitsweise, die durch ein hohes Maß an Virtualisierung von Arbeitsmitteln, Vernetzung von Personen, Flexibilisierung von Arbeitsorten, -zeiten und -inhalten gekennzeichnet ist." Und die Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände fordert unter dem Stichwort "New Work" die Verkürzung der gesetzlich vorgeschriebenen Ruhezeiten zwischen Ende und Beginn der Arbeit, die Verschiebung der Höchstarbeitszeit auf die wöchentliche statt auf die tägliche Arbeitszeit sowie die Option, die Pflicht zur Aufzeichnung der Arbeitszeit auf die Beschäftigten delegieren zu können. In den folgenden Ausführungen ist unter New Work oder Neuer Arbeit eine Erwerbsarbeit zu verstehen, die auf der Grundlage digitalisierter Arbeits- und Kommunikationsmittel an Orts- und Zeitflexibilität gewinnt und die sich oftmals in einer neuen, freilich interessenpolitisch umkämpften Arbeitskultur entwickelt. Dabei richtet sich der Blick aus der Interessenperspektive der abhängig Arbeitenden auf Möglichkeiten und Gefahren der Neuen Arbeit, um Elemente einer arbeitskraftzentrierten Gestaltungspolitik zu skizzieren. Im Vordergrund steht das Modell des Homeoffice als eine dominante Form digitalisierter und mobiler Arbeit. Homeoffice kann in der Sozialform der abhängigen Beschäftigung innerhalb der Arbeits- und Sozialverfassung, aber auch als soloselbstständige Arbeit im Rahmen von Click- und Crowdworking in der Plattformökonomie organisiert sein." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Selbstständig? Mit Sicherheit: Reformoptionen in der Arbeitslosenversicherung für Selbstständige (2023)
Zitatform
(2023): Selbstständig? Mit Sicherheit. Reformoptionen in der Arbeitslosenversicherung für Selbstständige. (Arbeitsmarkt aktuell 2023,04), Berlin, 27 S.
Abstract
"Nur wenige selbstständig Erwerbstätige sind gegen Arbeitslosigkeit abgesichert. Diese Sicherungslücke ist in der Corona-Pandemie verschärft zutage getreten. Arbeitsmarkt- und sozialpolitische Herausforderungen mahnen eine grundlegende Reform an. Zum einen ist der Zugang zur Arbeitslosenversicherung für Selbstständige voraussetzungsreich, zum anderen ist er für viele von ihnen unattraktiv. So fällt der Beitrag im Vergleich mit abhängig Beschäftigten für Selbstständige mit kleinen Einkommen relativ höher und für Selbstständige mit hohen Einkommen relativ niedriger aus. Das Leistungsspektrum ist kleiner als bei abhängig Beschäftigten. Beim Arbeitslosengeld hängt die Leistungshöhe nicht von dem zuvor erzielten Einkommen und von den errichteten Beiträgen ab. Die bestehenden Regelungen werden einerseits vor allem insoweit als nachteilig empfunden, als sie von den Regelungen für abhängig Beschäftigte abweichen. Insoweit – aber auch damit die gesetzliche Arbeitslosenversicherung in künftigen Krisen mehr Menschen Sicherheit bietet – spricht viel dafür, die Regelungen weitestmöglich anzugleichen. Andererseits differenziert das geltende Recht gerade dort nicht, wo dies mit Blick auf die Interessen selbstständig Erwerbstätiger geboten wäre. Zudem ersetzen Unternehmen vielfach abhängige Beschäftigung durch Auftragsverhältnisse mit scheinselbstständigen Auftragnehmenden. Diese Entscheidung wird dadurch begünstigt, dass diese Erwerbsformen unzureichend reguliert sind, aber auch durch finanzielle Fehlanreize für Unternehmen – unter anderem, weil sie die Beteiligung an der sozialen Absicherung der Menschen vermeiden können, die für sie arbeiten." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Genossenschaften von Solo-Selbstständigen als neue Arbeitsmarktorganisationen (2022)
Zitatform
Apitzsch, Birgit & Caroline Ruiner (2022): Genossenschaften von Solo-Selbstständigen als neue Arbeitsmarktorganisationen. In: Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Jg. 51, H. 1, S. 6-22. DOI:10.1515/zfsoz-2022-0002
Abstract
"Genossenschaften erfahren in jüngster Zeit in ihrem empirischen Auftreten und als Forschungsgegenstand eine Renaissance. Dieser Beitrag exploriert Genossenschaften von und für Solo-Selbstständige als neue Arbeitsmarktorganisationen. Ziel ist es, zu erfassen, wie Genossenschaften als Organisationstyp Mobilität organisieren und welche Organisationsdynamiken damit verbunden sind. In einem Vergleich zweier Fälle aus IT und Medizin werden Genossenschaften über die zentralen Organisationsmerkmale Ziel, Mitgliedschaft und Struktur bestimmt und es wird ihre Rolle auf dem Arbeitsmarkt diskutiert. Genossenschaften mit dem Ziel der solidarischen Organisation von Mobilität von Solo-Selbstständigen können als Hybride zwischen Interessenvertretungs- und Vermittlungsorganisationen gesehen werden, die sich in der sozialen Integration ihrer Mitglieder von anderen Arbeitsmarktorganisationen und sozialen Netzwerken unterscheiden. Mit der Analyse wird ein Beitrag zur empirischen Erforschung von Genossenschaften sowie zu ihrer organisationssoziologischen Einordnung geleistet." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter)
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Literaturhinweis
Machbarkeitstudie für eine Untersuchung der sozialen Lage von Selbstständigen (2022)
Zitatform
Bonin, Holger, Annabelle Krause-Pilatus & Ulf Rinne (2022): Machbarkeitstudie für eine Untersuchung der sozialen Lage von Selbstständigen. (IZA research report 608 134), Bonn, 74 S.
Abstract
"Das Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales plant ein Forschungsprojekt mit dem Ziel, die sozialen Lagen von Selbstständigen, die sich daraus ergebenden besonderen Schutzbedarfe sowie die zu ihrer Erfüllung zielführenden sozialpolitischen Maßnahmen statistisch fundiert zu beschreiben. Dafür müssen Daten, welche die Grundgesamtheit der selbstständig tätigen Personen in Deutschland repräsentativ abbilden, erhoben werden. Die Expertise zeigt im Sinne einer Machbarkeitsstudie, wie ein zielführendes und wirtschaftliches Design für dieses Vorhaben aussehen könnte. Sie arbeitet die Vorteile der Anlage einer spezifischen Datenbasis gegenüber der Nutzung vorhandener Datenquellen heraus und erörtert die Möglichkeiten der praktischen Umsetzung einer Querschnittsbefragung, insbesondere Feldzugang und Stichprobendesign, sowie Fragenprogramm und Erhebungsmodus." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Independent or Dependent? European Labour Statistics and Their (In)ability to Identify Forms of Dependency in Self-employment (2022)
Zitatform
Bozzon, Rossella & Annalisa Murgia (2022): Independent or Dependent? European Labour Statistics and Their (In)ability to Identify Forms of Dependency in Self-employment. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 160, H. 1, S. 199-226. DOI:10.1007/s11205-021-02798-1
Abstract
"In the studies on labour market change and transformation of employment relations, the growth of new forms of self-employment, including platform work, has raised a broad debate about how to define, classify, and analyse the wide range of positions within the heterogeneous category of self-employed workers. This article analyses the emergent methodologies used in European comparative labour statistics to identify forms of dependency in self-employment. Using the 6th wave of the 2015 European Working Condition Survey and the 2017 ad hoc module on self-employment from the European Labour Force Survey, this article discusses how the representation of dependent self-employment changes by adopting a different operationalization of economic and operational dependency. Findings show how different indicators of dependency change the representation of self-employment in different economic sectors, affecting our understanding of the transformation of working arrangements within self-employment and the boundaries between employment and self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Staged entrepreneurship: the formation of hybrid and spawning entrepreneurial intentions (2022)
Zitatform
Brändle, Leif & Andreas Kuckertz (2022): Staged entrepreneurship: the formation of hybrid and spawning entrepreneurial intentions. In: Journal of business economics, Jg. 92, H. 6, S. 955-996. DOI:10.1007/s11573-021-01074-5
Abstract
"Most individuals find their way into entrepreneurship through combinations of self-employment and paid employment. However, prior research on entrepreneurial intentions has overlooked intended career transitions. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, we argue that, against the background of personal and environmental factors, individuals form career intentions that involve the combination of and transition between paid employment and self-employment. Such staged entrepreneurial intentions include the delay of entrepreneurial entry by intermediate stages of paid employment (i.e., spawning entrepreneurial intentions) or immediate entrepreneurial entry in parallel combination with paid employment at established organizations (i.e., hybrid entrepreneurial intentions). We test these theoretical ideas based on a survey involving 1003 individuals prior to career entry. The results indicate that individuals proactively align their envisioned career stages according to expected socio-cognitive enablers and barriers (i.e., their entrepreneurial self-efficacy, personal attitudes to entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and socioeconomic status). Notably, we find that individuals with lower levels of perceived social support for an entrepreneurial career more likely intend to combine their existing entrepreneurial activities with a conventional career at an established organization. Furthermore, individuals from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds as well as women are more likely to delay entrepreneurial entry by starting their professional careers in paid employment. The study's primary contribution is the introduction of a novel perspective on entrepreneurial intentions based on individuals' intended career transitions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Minimum Wages and the Rise in Solo Self-Employment (2022)
Zitatform
Ganserer, Angelika, Terry Gregory & Ulrich Zierahn (2022): Minimum Wages and the Rise in Solo Self-Employment. (IZA discussion paper 15283), Bonn, 54 S.
Abstract
"Solo self-employment is on the rise despite less favorable working conditions compared to traditional jobs. We show that the introduction of minimum wages in German industries led to an increase in the share of solo self-employment by up to 8.5 percentage points. We explain our findings within a substitution-scale model that predicts a decline in demand and earnings perspectives for high-skilled dependent workers, whenever the negative scale effect (overall decline in industry employment) dominates the positive substitution effect (shift towards high-skilled workers). Such situations can occur during an economic downturn in combination with a strong and rising minimum wage bite." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Arbeitslosenversicherung für Selbstständige: Wer kann sich (nicht) versichern? (2022)
Zitatform
Granzow, Felix, Elke Jahn & Michael Oberfichtner (2022): Arbeitslosenversicherung für Selbstständige: Wer kann sich (nicht) versichern? (IAB-Forschungsbericht 19/2022), Nürnberg, 31 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FB.2219
Abstract
"Die Arbeitslosenversicherung auf Antrag bietet Gründerinnen und Gründern die Möglichkeit, sich gegen einen Verdienstausfall zu schützen. Allerdings nutzen nur sehr wenige Selbstständige das Angebot. In den vergangenen Jahren wurden weniger als 4.000 Versicherungen pro Jahr abgeschlossen – bei mehr als 200.000 Vollzeit-Gründungen jährlich. Das kann sowohl an mangelndem Interesse an der Versicherung liegen als auch daran, dass die Zugangsvoraussetzungen nicht erfüllt werden. Selbstständige, die sich versichern wollen, müssen bereits in der Arbeitslosenversicherung sein: Entweder, indem sie in der Zeit vor der Gründung für eine bestimmte Frist versichert waren oder, indem sie während einer Arbeitslosigkeit vor der Gründung Anspruch auf Arbeitslosengeld I durch Vorversicherungszeiten haben. In dieser Untersuchung wird mit Verlaufsdaten (Paneldaten) erstmals analysiert, inwieweit eine Nicht-Erfüllung der Zugangsvoraussetzungen die geringe Nutzungsquote erklären könnte. Die empirische Analyse zeigt, dass rund die Hälfte der Gründerinnen und Gründer die Möglichkeit hätte, die freiwillige Arbeitslosenversicherung abzuschließen. Etwa 23 Prozent erfüllen die Zugangsvoraussetzungen nicht. Bei den anderen 27 Prozent lässt sich die Zugangsberechtigung auf individueller Ebene nicht eindeutig ermitteln. Diese Personen sind oft Selbstständige, die nicht die nötigen Vorversicherungszeiten als abhängige Beschäftigte aufweisen, aber als Selbstständige versichert gewesen sein könnten. Unterstellt man bei diesen Selbstständigen die durchschnittliche Versichertenquote aller Selbstständigen, dann beträgt der Anteil der Personen ohne Zugang zur Versicherung rund 40 Prozent. Ausgehend von aktuell ungefähr 230.000 Gründungen pro Jahr entspricht das etwa 95.000 Personen, die ohne Möglichkeit zur Absicherung bleiben. Das betrifft vor allem gründende Studierende sowie schon zuvor Selbstständige, die neu gründen und sich bisher nicht freiwillig abgesichert hatten. Auch Personen mit geringer Bildung erfüllen überdurchschnittlich oft die Zugangsvoraussetzungen nicht. Eine Verkürzung der nötigen Vorversicherungszeit beziehungsweise eine Verlängerung des Zeitraums, in dem Vorversicherungszeiten anrechenbar sind, könnten mehr Menschen ermöglichen, die Versicherung zu beantragen. Allerdings sind die Effekte begrenzt. Selbst eine sehr großzügige Reform würde vermutlich mehr als ein Viertel der neuen Selbstständigen ohne Option zur Absicherung belassen. Von der Hälfte der Gründerinnen und Gründer, die die Möglichkeit zum Abschluss der Arbeitslosenversicherung haben, nutzen mehr als 90 Prozent von ihnen diese Option nicht. Die Gründe dafür können hier nicht genauer untersucht werden. Frühere Befragungen deuten allerdings darauf hin, dass viele Selbstständige das Gefühl haben, die Versicherung lohne sich nicht oder werde von ihnen nicht benötigt. Andere wiederum scheitern daran, sich, wie gefordert, in den ersten drei Monaten nach der Gründung zu versichern. Angesichts der niedrigen Nutzungsquote unter Personen, die eigentlich Zugang zur Versicherung hätten, scheint auch deren geringe Attraktivität ein Problem zu sein. Erfahrungen aus anderen europäischen Ländern, z. B. Schweden, belegen, dass eine deutlich höhere Nutzungsquote möglich ist. Allerdings wird die Arbeitslosenversicherung, sowohl für Selbstständige als auch für abhängig Beschäftigte, dort stark durch Steuermittel bezuschusst." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
A qualitative exploration of solo self-employed workers' career sustainability (2022)
Groenendaal, Sjanne Marie E. van den; Freese, Charissa; Akkermans, Jos ; Fleisher, Chen; Poell, Rob F. ; Kooij, Dorien T. A. M.;Zitatform
Groenendaal, Sjanne Marie E. van den, Jos Akkermans, Chen Fleisher, Dorien T. A. M. Kooij, Rob F. Poell & Charissa Freese (2022): A qualitative exploration of solo self-employed workers' career sustainability. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 134. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103692
Abstract
"Contemporary labor markets are characterized by rapidly growing numbers of solo self-employed workers who have their own businesses without employing employees. However, research on solo self-employment has almost exclusively focused on the decision to move into self-employment, thereby failing to consider the long-term career consequences of being solo self-employed. To complement existing research, we examined patterns of career self-management strategies among the solo self-employed in light of their career sustainability and enablers and barriers in their unique work context. We conducted 102 interviews among a heterogeneous sample of Dutch solo self-employed workers and identified four career self-management patterns: proactive crafters, adaptive crafters, survivors, and passive balancers. We found differences in their career sustainability (i.e., happiness, health, and productivity). Specifically, their happiness is overall sufficient while the level of productivity is mixed, and their health seems to be most problematic. This study contributes to the nascent scholarly literature on solo self-employment and career sustainability. Policymakers can use our findings to promote sustainable careers among the solo self-employed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Female Solo Self-Employment in Germany: The Role of Transitions and Learning From a Life Course Perspective (2022)
Haasler, Simone R.; Hokema, Anna;Zitatform
Haasler, Simone R. & Anna Hokema (2022): Female Solo Self-Employment in Germany: The Role of Transitions and Learning From a Life Course Perspective. In: Social Inclusion, Jg. 10, H. 4, S. 150-160. DOI:10.17645/si.v10i4.5743
Abstract
"Based on a qualitative analysis of 12 solo self-employed women's work biographies, this article investigates the (re)structuring effects of solo self-employment on the professional and private lives of women in Germany in their mid- and late-career stages. While solo self-employment has been gaining significance in the German labour market in the last two decades, it is largely an underresearched subject from the perspective of female labour market participation. Our study shows that the transition to working solo self-employed constitutes a marked break in female work biographies with lasting restructuring effects on their life courses. Constituting a deviation from the female standard life course, this move can be understood as a coping strategy of biographical discontinuities, which translates into specific patterns against the background that women (still) assume most of the care and housework responsibilities. How the transition to solo self-employment is being prepared and managed and what role learning and risk management play in the transition process is the focus of our article. Our aim is to better understand the underlining rationalisation logics of female solo self-employment in terms of labour market participation, reconciling work and family life, and professional self-realisation. While in the German welfare system solo self-employed bear higher risks of precarity and financial old age insecurity, solo self-employment is functional as an individual strategy for action, giving women the opportunity to do justice to their (mid) life courses and intrinsic needs to pursue both professional work and freedom of choice when and how to work. This may act as a corrective for gender inequalities in the world of work, especially when it comes to working in a self-determined way." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))