oa De januskop van de zzp’er

The janus face of own-account workers. Are own account workers entrepeneurs of, in fact, employees?

Much has been written about own-account workers, however, a corresponding definition of own-account working is lacking. The result of this is that the knowledge about and the policy discussion on this group is confused. The discussion on own-account workers still centres on the question whether own-account workers are entrepreneurs or employees. According to us, the advice of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) including the definition stated in this document has not provided much improvement with regard to this. We think there is not just one type of own-account worker. Own-account working is not a choice for life. For many own-account workers this kind of entrepreneurship is an in-between phase from one job to another or the first step to entrepreneurship with employees. However, the consequences and risks of this choice demand our attention. On the basis of our study, we have arrived at the conclusion that specific national and regional policies aimed at own-account workers would be advisable, in order to: protect own-account workers against the risks of entrepreneurship, save costs for municipalities, encourage later retirement, and support the creation of new jobs.