The benefits of the gig economy became abundantly clear as Europe entered lockdown in Spring 2020. While much of industry ground to a halt, the gig economy came into its own, as governments and companies wrestled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An outdated legal framework
The gig economy itself may have flourished in the past year, but the legal framework in which they operate has not evolved at the same pace. Legal uncertainty with respect to social status and conditions remains as the current legislation is not set up to combine flexible and autonomous working with social protection.
The precarious position of the gig worker has, however, gained the interest of various stakeholders. Ranging from social dialogue on European and national level on the protection of workers, to legislative actions at national level, European states are trying to forge a legal path in this unknown territory.
Time to go beyond status
We see countries holding on to their often dichotomous model of employee/self-employed, trying to equalise the work conditions for both, with employee working conditions as the norm.
In our opinion, the answer doesn’t lie in obtaining additional case law but rather to rethink labour law. We need a legal framework that welcomes flexibility and truly questions whether the binary distinction employee/self-employed is still relevant in today’s and certainly tomorrow’s labour market.
An overview per country
In our Gig economy report 2021 we provide an overview of how workers in the gig economy are currently being classified in a number of prominent member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. We have investigated the respective national legislations and case law. In the following report, you will find an overview of the most important highlights per country up until the date of publication.
Download our gig economy report for an overview of labour and case law across Europe and the UK.
“We are living in a continuously changing society, which is not only reflected in the way we conduct business but also in people's mindsets and the way we work. With the COVID-19 pandemic as the ultimate catalyst, the latent needs of our society have surfaced. As a result of massive homeworking, employees are now also clearly indicating that they are looking for a flexibility that they cannot obtain within the current legal framework. The concept of standard employment status is coming under increasing pressure accordingly. An evolution towards new ways of working, such as the gig economy, is clearer than ever before.”
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