A consilience framework: Revealing hidden features of the independent contractor

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tui McKeown
Keyword(s):  
Government Regulation ◽  
The Self ◽  
Independent Contractor ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Independent Contractors ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Consumer Data ◽  
Independent Contracting ◽  
Initial Results

AbstractThis paper presents the results of a consilience framework developed and tested to reconcile the varying definitions, methodologies and purposes of the data collected on independent contracting within Australia. The result is a multilayered profile of the self-employed contractor which draws together official labour market statistics, taxation office liabilities and marketing-based consumer data sources. The framework sees independent contractors emerge as a dynamic, entrepreneurial and complex group who defy many of the age, gender and industry stereotypes that law and policy makers confine them to. While these initial results are limited to Australia, the challenge independent contractors present to established systems of legal, social and government regulation are embedded within the wider contexts of self-employment and small business. These contexts are universal and the sooner these challenges are answered, the sooner the opportunities they also present can be realised.

scholarly journals LABOUR PROTECTION FOR SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS

Just Labour ◽  
1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Fudge
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Independent Contracting

Self-employed workers have an legal ambiguous status. Traditionally self-employment is equated with entrepreneurship and legally it is considered to be a form of independent contracting and thus outside the ambit of labour protection and collective bargaining laws. But the evidence suggests that most of the self-employed, especially those who do not employ other workers, are much more like employees than they are like entrepreneurs. Instead of attempting to draw a new line between employment and independent contracting for the purpose of determining the scope of labour protection, collective bargaining, and social insurance laws, all workers, including the self-employed, who depend on the sale of their capacity to work should be covered by these laws, unless there are compelling public policy reasons for a narrower definition.

Contract work at older ages

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Katharine G. Abraham ◽  
Brad Hershbein ◽  
Susan N. Houseman
Keyword(s):  
Retirement Savings ◽  
Independent Contractor ◽  
Independent Contractors ◽  
Contract Work ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Lower Education ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Employment Rates ◽  
Education Groups

Abstract The share of workers who are self-employed rises markedly with age. Given policy concerns about inadequate retirement savings, especially among those with lower education, and the resulting interest in encouraging employment at older ages, it is important to understand the role that self-employment arrangements play in facilitating work among seniors. New data from a survey module fielded on a Gallup telephone survey distinguish independent contractor work from other self-employment and provide information on informal and online platform work. The Gallup data show that, especially after accounting for individuals who are miscoded as employees, self-employment is even more prevalent at older ages than suggested by existing data. Work as an independent contractor is the most common type of self-employment. Roughly one-quarter of independent contractors aged 50 and older work for a former employer. At older ages, self-employment generally – and work as an independent contractor specifically – is more common among the highly educated, accounting for much of the difference in employment rates across education groups. We provide suggestive evidence that differences in opportunities for independent contractor work play an important role in the lower employment rates of less-educated older adults.

scholarly journals DOES ETHNIC AFFILIATION AFFECT THE CHOICE TO BE SELF-EMPLOYED? CASE STUDY ON THE LABOR MARKET IN ISRAEL

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (Special) ◽  
pp. 104-114
Author(s):  
Iyad Snunu ◽  
Nicoleta Sîrghi
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
The Self ◽  
Employment Rate ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Economic Choice ◽  
Ethnic Affiliation

The aim of the paper is to empirically examine the variables that influence the choice of economic status, with emphasis on the differences between Arabs and Jews in Israel regarding this economic choice. Self-employed workers - business owners or entrepreneurs - are the force that contributes to the progress of individuals, companies and countries and are, therefore, an important factor for economic policy makers. The sector of self-employed workers - despite the numbers above - is a tier of significant specific attention in the workforce. However, so far, the self-employed sector has not received the proper attention in the literatur. The results indicate differences in the economies in which Jews and Arabs work as self-employed workers, and it is evident that there are areas that are more typical of self-employed Jews or self-employed. The industries in which the self-employment rate is advantageous or equitable for the self-employed are vehicles (sales and repair), electricity and water supply, banking and insurance. The first two areas do not require higher education, and can be associated with neighborhood / home services that characterize the self-employed in this level of education. In contrast, in education, public administration and construction, Jews had a considerable advantage in the employment rate as self-employed.

scholarly journals Workplace Situation and Well-Being of Ecuadorian Self-Employed

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1892
Author(s):  
Nuria Ceular-Villamandos ◽  
Virginia Navajas-Romero ◽  
Lorena Caridad y López del Río ◽  
Lucia Zita Zambrano-Santos
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Workplace Satisfaction ◽  
Labor Control ◽  
Job Demand ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Demand Control ◽  
Psychological Demands

Due to novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the labor market is going to undergo a profound restructuring. The creation of a new labor paradigm by all stakeholders is essential. This document contributes to the current political and social debates about self-employment, the need for economic growth, and how these labor measures, which are deeply institutionalized, need a change of attitude for an adequate job reconstruction in terms of welfare and sustainability. Currently, policy makers are proposing actions and policies because the new labor paradigm is being designed in the countries of Latin America. This research aims to analyze the JDCS model (Job Demand-Control-Support) and well-being in the self-employed in Ecuador. Unlike previous studies, this research takes a comprehensive approach by considering this theoretical model and the figure of the self-employed in terms of well-being. The logistic model, using cases of more than one thousand workers, generated estimated results that indicate the existence of a significant effect of physical and psychological demands at work on the balance between well-being and the management of angry clients; the speed of execution; and the complexity of the tasks. Regarding labor control, the ability to solve problems and make decisions for the company are detected as influencing factors; finally, social support is another factor influencing global well-being for the self-employed. These results show that with an effective management of the self-employed labor environment, it is possible to achieve an adequate level of workplace satisfaction.

Opvattingen van zelfstandig ondernemers over sociale zekerheid

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social System ◽  
The Self ◽  
Dutch Society ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Policy Attitudes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sociale Zekerheid

Self-employment and attitudes toward social security Self-employment and attitudes toward social security The number of self-employed workers in Dutch society is increasing rapidly. The usual assumption amongst policy makers and scientists is that these self-employed do not support the social security system. Therefore, the growth in self-employment is argued to be a possible threat to the legitimacy of the social system. Using different research methods, we examine support for social security among the self-employed. A key finding is that employees and self-employed do not have very different policy attitudes. The self-employed are less supportive of unemployment spending compared to employees, but do not have different attitudes to the so-called 'external' risks such as sickness and old-age.

De invloed van startmotieven op de financiële situatie en arbeidstevredenheid van zzp'ersDit onderzoek werd gefinancierd door de Hans-Böckler-Stiftung onder subsidie 'Self-employed without personnel: between freedom and insecurity'.

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wieteke Conen ◽  
Joop Schippers
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
The Self ◽  
Pull Factors ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
The Impact

The impact of motives on the financial situation and job satisfaction of the solo self-employed This study examines to the extent to which Dutch men and women differ in their motives to become solo self-employed and how various types of motives play a role in explaining financial and non-financial returns to solo self-employment. We analyzed data from comparative surveys carried out among 781 Dutch solo self-employed persons. The results show that, for a majority of the Dutch solo self-employed, so-called pull factors (like looking for a new challenge or more autonomy) play an important role, whereas for about a quarter of respondents push factors (like not being able to find a job as an employee) play an important role. Women relatively often indicate that the combination of work and family plays a role; for men necessity-driven motives more often played a role when becoming solo self-employed. The analyses show that the self-employed who start their business from push motives are not only less successful in running their businesses, but also more likely to live in households running a deficit and are less satisfied with their jobs. We conclude that the relationships between motives and the benefits of solo self-employment deserve more attention from economic and social policy makers – especially if push as well as pull factors are increasingly encouraging an inflow into solo self-employment.

TAX FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED: PROS AND CONS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.S. Hasanova ◽  
R.R. Hatueva ◽  
A.L. Arsaev
Keyword(s):  
Income Tax ◽  
The State ◽  
The Self ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Crisis Conditions ◽  
Part Time Work

This article discusses the pros and cons of applying professional income tax. Professional income tax is not mandatory, but an alternative way to pay 2 taxes on self-employment or part-time work. The introduction of this tax can mediate an increase in revenues to the state budget, which is of particular importance for the country in post-crisis conditions.

scholarly journals Solo self-employment, entrepreneurial subjectivity and the security–precarity continuum: Evidence from private tutors in the supplementary education industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2110092
Author(s):  
Sarah L Holloway ◽  
Helena Pimlott-Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Choice ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Development Economic ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Supplementary Education ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Education Industry

Entrepreneurship is regarded by policy makers and politicians as an accelerant for economic development. Economic geography demonstrates that rather than stimulating entrepreneurship in general, policy makers should support specific forms of entrepreneurship that fuel wider growth. The paper's original contribution is to insist that entrepreneurship research must also explore less growth-oriented, but crucially very widespread, forms of entrepreneurial activity. The paper therefore places solo self-employment – the self-employed without employees – centre stage as an exemplar of this trend. Research is presented on private tutors who run businesses from home, offering children one-to-one tuition in the burgeoning supplementary education industry. The paper scrutinises the causes, configuration and consequences of such solo self-employment as an economically marginal, but numerically dominant, form of entrepreneurship. In so doing, it makes three conceptual advances in the exploration of heterogeneous entrepreneurship. First, in examining why individuals become self-employed, the paper moves beyond classic efforts to understand entrepreneurship through binary push/pull mechanisms in models of occupational choice. Instead, the analysis demonstrates the importance of risk in entrepreneurship and paid employment, highlighting the multiple pathways into solo self-employment as opportunities and constraints coalesce in individual's lives. Secondly, in considering how the solo self-employed think about business, the research breaks through conventional definitions of entrepreneurship to demonstrate that solo self-employment involves a distinctively entrepreneurial subjectivity and practices. Thirdly, by investigating the consequences of solo self-employment, the findings transcend dualist interpretations of self-employment as the realm of entrepreneurial wealth or economic precarity, highlighting instead a security–precarity continuum in immediate and long-term outcomes.

scholarly journals Only the brave: improving self-rationing efficiency among discouraged Swiss SMEs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reto Wernli ◽  
Andreas Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
Unique Feature ◽  
Bank Loans ◽  
The Self ◽  
Bank Loan ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Banking Market ◽  
Application Procedure ◽  
Discouraged Borrowers ◽  
New Evidence

AbstractWe conduct a survey among 1922 Swiss SMEs to analyze their access to bank loans. Credit-constrained SMEs are six times more likely to be discouraged than rejected. The most dominant reasons for being discouraged are too high collateral requirements, cumbersome application procedure, and the expectation of being turned down. Through a unique feature in the Swiss banking market, we also find new evidence for the importance of a strong firm–bank relationship. We challenge the assumption that discouraged borrowers are very similar to rejected borrowers. Our results indicate that the group of discouraged borrowers is more similar to the denied borrowers than to the group of approved borrowers, but only with respect to firm characteristics. For variables describing business development and firm–bank relationship, discouraged SMEs have less in common with credit-constrained firms than with their unconstrained counterparts. Even with a conservative prediction, about 60% of the discouraged firms would have obtained a bank loan if they had applied for one. The self-rationing mechanism observed is thus rather inefficient, and banks and policy makers should think about how to foster SMEs’ courage to apply for the bank loans they need.

Psychographic segmentation of the self-employed: An exploratory study

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Kenney ◽  
Art Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Nominal Group Technique ◽  
The Self ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Group Technique

Although it is well established in the academic literature that entrepreneurs share common traits, there has been limited research dedicated to evaluating psychographic profiles of the self-employed. Using the Nominal Group Technique, the authors gleaned insight from a panel of experts in an effort to segment the self-employed based on personality traits and the benefits they receive from an entrepreneurial career. The findings show that self-employed individuals can be classified into four distinct segments: Exemplars, Generals, Moms and Dads, and Altruists. Each group derives different benefits from self-employment. Understanding these benefits can greatly assist entrepreneurship educators and marketers of small business oriented products and services.

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