Abstract

Self-employment represents a lesser, and yet nonetheless widespread, form of employment in the European Union. It has often been described as a sign of economic backwardness or as the survival of traditional economic structures. However, particularly in the wake of the economic crisis, self-employment has recently become an important topic in both public debate and employment policies. Starting out from an analysis of the extent of, and recent changes in, self-employment in Europe, this article describes some of the features and tensions which characterise this form of employment. The description of these aspects is proposed as a connecting thread for identifying and discussing other major changes and developments that could have an impact on employment.