Extending Social Security Schemes for ‘Non-employees’: A Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Platform workers still generally do not enjoy social security protection because they are not considered employees in accordance with the respective requirements for an employment status. Nevertheless, social insurance protection is not necessarily linked to the labour law status as an employee. In many countries, social insurance law provides different strategies of extending social protection to non-employees by disconnecting social protection from the employment status. This article analyses such strategies and reflects the specifics of the construction of platform work. Furthermore, innovative strategies for extending the access to social protection to platform workers as well as their advantages and limits are investigated.

Keywords: labour law, platform workers, employment, social protection

JEL Classification: K31, K39