Solo-Selbstständige – zwischen Selbstverwirklichung und Prekariat
Als Solo-Selbstständige werden diejenigen Gründerinnen und Gründer bezeichnet, die keine weiteren sozialversicherungspflichtigen Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer beschäftigen. Sie bilden mittlerweile die Mehrheit der beruflich Selbstständigen in Deutschland. Die Infoplattform informiert über die empirische Forschung zu den Solo-Selbstständigen.
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Literaturhinweis
Employment resilience and business organization: the case of Italian micro firms (2026)
Zitatform
Costa, Michele, Flavio Delbono & Francesco Linguiti (2026): Employment resilience and business organization: the case of Italian micro firms. In: Applied Economics, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2026.2613165
Abstract
"Testing resilience has become a widespread exercise in socio-economic literature, especially in the wake of macroeconomic shocks. Among the key factors driving the resilience of economic systems, we explore the role of business organizations, focusing on the cooperative model. Leveraging on data from Italian micro firms covering the period 2012–2022, which hosts the COVID-19 pandemic, we compare the employment resilience of cooperative enterprises with capitalist ones. Our findings suggest that while cooperative enterprises may appear to exhibit lower employment resilience compared to capitalist firms, they demonstrate greater resilience when accounting for changes in the number of firms. Additionally, our study found that cooperative enterprises consistently feature a higher ratio of labour cost to value added compared to capitalist firms, with the differential significantly increasing over the analysed period. Overall, our study highlights the growing relevance of cooperative organizations in shaping employment dynamics and labour productivity, emphasizing their distinct contributions amidst economic downturns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Self-employment, health, and health care: When the going gets tough, the tough get going? (2026)
Zitatform
Garrouste, Clémentine, Alain Paraponaris & Nicolas Sirven (2026): Self-employment, health, and health care: When the going gets tough, the tough get going? In: Economics and Human Biology, Jg. 60. DOI:10.1016/j.ehb.2025.101567
Abstract
"This study provides a life-course analysis of the relationship between self-employment, health, and health care use among individuals aged 50 and older in Europe. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we apply first-difference and dynamic panel data models that go beyond standard approaches in mitigating endogeneity concerns. Our findings show that the self-employed enjoy better health at younger ages, consistent with a selection effect. In addition, they experience a steeper decline in physical health over time. We also document two distinct phases of health care use: during working life, the self-employed are more likely to be hospitalised, suggesting delayed care until acute needs arise; after retirement, the number of medical visits increases, consistent with a lower opportunity cost of care." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners (2026)
Zitatform
Schneck, Stefan (2026): Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners. In: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Jg. 121. DOI:10.1016/j.socec.2025.102506
Abstract
"The self-employed are their own bosses and make independent decisions on how to achieve their goals. We ask if the self-employed not only make professional decisions but also interfere in the private decisions of their partners. Using unique German panel data designed to study intimate relationships, we show a positive relationship between complaints about interference and the self-employment status of partners, which indicates that the self-employed dominate in business and private life. Estimates explaining the frequency of disagreements and quarrels between partners reveal that tensions are more commonly reported by respondents with self-employed partners. Moreover, we show that partners exercising control over their partners are a major source of conflicts at home. In this regard, the significant effect of having a self-employed partner can be attributed to the degree of governance the partner exercises over the respondent’s life. This study is the first to suggest that decision autonomy in the work sphere is associated with dominance in private life, harming relationships." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Author.Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Self‐Employment and Labor Market Risks (2025)
Zitatform
Audoly, Richard (2025): Self‐Employment and Labor Market Risks. In: International Economic Review, Jg. 66, H. 2, S. 661-686. DOI:10.1111/iere.12732
Abstract
"I study the labor market risks associated with self-employment. I document that the self-employed are subject to larger earnings fluctuations than employees and frequently transition into unemployment. I analyze the provision of benefits targeted at these risks using a calibrated search model with (i) precautionary savings, (ii) work opportunities in paid- and self-employment, and (iii) skill heterogeneity. Extending the U.S. unemployment insurance scheme to the self-employed increases the transition rate from self-employment to unemployment and yields an unequal benefits to contributions ratio across skill groups. At the calibrated parameters, the self-employed in the middle of the skill distribution lose welfare." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Are you in or are you out? A longitudinal person-centered study of health and entrance and exit into self-employment (2025)
Bergman, Louise E. ; Bernhard-Oettel, Claudia ; Bujacz, Aleksandra ; Toivanen, Susanna ; Leineweber, Constanze ;Zitatform
Bergman, Louise E., Aleksandra Bujacz, Constanze Leineweber, Susanna Toivanen & Claudia Bernhard-Oettel (2025): Are you in or are you out? A longitudinal person-centered study of health and entrance and exit into self-employment. In: Business research quarterly, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 678-694. DOI:10.1177/23409444241277831
Abstract
"This study addresses the scarcity of research on health developments in the heterogeneous group of self-employed workers. It aims at understanding typical health progressions in this group and associations with demographic factors, work characteristics, and self-employment decisions. We investigate health profiles based on mental health problems, self-rated health, and work satisfaction, as well as transitions between them in relation to work effort, reward, overcommitment, demographic characteristics, and entrance and exit into self-employment. Using latent transition analysis, we analyzed data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH), including data from 593 participants. We identified four distinct, stable health profiles, revealing associations with work effort, reward, overcommitment, and self-employment decisions. No meaningful relations existed for demographic characteristics. Overall, the findings offer a comprehensive perspective on the health dynamics of self-employed individuals, their associations with work characteristics and decisions to enter and exit self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Theorising ‘best practice’ for supporting those furthest from the market into work or self-employment in France and England (2025)
Zitatform
Bika, Zografia, Catherine Locke, Caterina M. Orlandi & Benjamin Valcke (2025): Theorising ‘best practice’ for supporting those furthest from the market into work or self-employment in France and England. In: Journal of European Social Policy, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1177/09589287251384936
Abstract
"Mainstream/statutory Micro-Enterprise-and-Employment-Support-Services (MEESS) have delivered poor outcomes for disadvantaged individuals and deprived areas. In contrast, alternative third-sector socially-orientated MEESS show promising results but their well-recognised repertoire of ‘best practice’ remains under-theorised. This study addresses that gap using qualitative data from an innovative MEESS programme in deprived areas of England and France. Drawing on key-informant interviews and client ‘voices’, we explore how and why these alternative MEESS better engage disadvantaged people. Through a process-philosophy and life-course lens, we find that practitioners operate with a strength-building logic – emphasising responsive, place-embedded and long-term support that helps individuals reconnect with their aspirations. Our analysis highlights the importance of relational, tailored support in advancing inclusive enterprise/employment outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Expansion and job creation strategies in different solo self-employment segments (2025)
Zitatform
Cieslik, Jerzy, Ondřej Dvouletý & André van Stel (2025): Expansion and job creation strategies in different solo self-employment segments. In: International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Jg. 21, H. 1. DOI:10.1007/s11365-025-01129-x
Abstract
"The number of solo self-employed (those without employees) in Europe, and particularly the number of high-skilled solo self-employed (or independent professionals), has increased rapidly in the last two decades. Earlier research has found a low propensity among high-skilled solo self-employed to hire employees, even though many of them have growth ambitions. This low hiring propensity is worrying as it may hamper the number of newly created wage jobs in contemporary knowledge-based economies. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the growth ambitions of different segments of solo self-employed by analyzing their varying expansion strategies. From estimating a multinomial logistic regression model on a large sample of solo self-employed workers, our main finding is that high-skilled solo self-employed with a proven track record (by operating solo for at least five years) do not plan to hire employees. Instead, insofar as they have expansion plans, they prefer to work together with other self-employed individuals in a network or outsource tasks to subcontractors. Our study highlights the crucial role of collaborative networks, particularly among high-skilled professionals operating solo. Joining such networks helps avoiding certain drawbacks of solo operations while also allowing to realize expansion ambitions by engaging in larger projects that are impossible to execute independently. An implication of our study is that high-skilled professionals need to consider collaborative networks already at the planning stage of their business operations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Sociology of Self-Employment: A Typology and Reconciliation (2025)
Zitatform
Cohen, Rachel Lara (2025): The Sociology of Self-Employment: A Typology and Reconciliation. In: Sociology, Jg. 59, H. 5, S. 905-924. DOI:10.1177/00380385251324563
Abstract
"Self-employment accounts for a significant share of income-producing work but the ‘sociology of self-employment’ remains embryonic. This article argues that, to date, sociologists have viewed self-employment through discrete lenses, rooted in different intellectual traditions. A novel typology is developed that conceptually maps extant analyzes, revealing the variety of ways these lenses portray the relationship of self-employment to capitalism. The identified lenses are: (1) self-employment as residual; (2) self-employment as dynamic; (3) self-employment as hyper-exploitation; (4) self-employment as mundane; and (5) self-employment as ideology. The article suggests that the empirical complexity of self-employment as a phenomenon underpins this multiplicity of sociological conceptualizations. Self-employment is both driver and residuum of capitalist development; self-employed labor both potential (or at least putative) capitalist enterprise and the absence of waged-labour. Reconciling the sociology of self-employment requires we recognize and embrace this complexity for what it tells us about the conditions of work in contemporary capitalism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Soloselbständige und Kleinstunternehmende: Gut abgesichert im Alter? Ergebnisse einer ifo-Befragung (2025)
Demmelhuber, Katrin;Zitatform
Demmelhuber, Katrin (2025): Soloselbständige und Kleinstunternehmende: Gut abgesichert im Alter? Ergebnisse einer ifo-Befragung. In: ifo Schnelldienst digital, Jg. 6, H. 12, S. 1-7.
Abstract
"Die Bundesregierung plant, 2025 eine Rentenversicherungspflicht für neue Selbständige einzuführen, sofern keine andere Altersvorsorge existiert. Im Juni 2025 wurden im Rahmen der ifo Konjunkturumfragen Soloselbständige und Selbständige mit Kleinstunternehmen zu ihren Altersvorsorgeoptionen und der Einschätzung ihrer Absicherung im Alter befragt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass fast alle Befragten bereits Altersvorsorgeoptionen nutzen. Allerdings geht knapp ein Drittel der Teilnehmenden davon aus, dass sie ihren Lebensstandard im Alter nicht werden halten können. Etwa 46 % der Selbständigen schätzen ihre Vorsorge als ausreichend ein. Ein Vergleich der gewählten Altersvorsorgeoptionen und der Einschätzung der finanziellen Absicherung zeigt, dass diejenigen, die ihren Lebensstandard im Alter als gesichert betrachten, tendenziell mehr Altersvorsorgeoptionen nutzen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
To be or not to be. . . self-employed? Toward addressing the job quality debate and its challenges (2025)
Zitatform
Dixon, Jeffrey C. (2025): To be or not to be. . . self-employed? Toward addressing the job quality debate and its challenges. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, S. 1-25. DOI:10.1177/0143831x251380958
Abstract
"Self-employed workers’relative job quality is a matter of theoretical and policy debate. Whereas the precarity framework highlights employees’ good job quality especially compared to independent contractors, this study conceptualizes “self-employment/independent contractor configurations” as distinct groups of workers who differ in whether they report being self-employed and/or independent contractors, with different job quality implications. Based on multivariable analyses of data on multiple job quality dimensions (perceived job insecurity, autonomy, scheduling flexibility, satisfaction with fringe benefits, income), the results indicate the precarity framework best accounts for job quality dimensions like satisfaction with fringe benefits. Yet, job quality variation among self-employed workers is best captured by the conceptualization and complementary model I develop: for instance, although autonomy is hailed as a benefit of self-employment, independent contractors who do not identify as self-employed perceive less autonomy than self-employed independent contractors and similar levels as employees. Implications are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie") (2025)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2025): Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie"). In: IAB-Forum H. 04.06.2025, 2025-06-04. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250604.01
Abstract
"Über Solo- und Scheinselbstständigkeit bei Online-Lieferdiensten wird in der Öffentlichkeit häufig mit Sorge um die soziale Absicherung der dort tätigen Plattformarbeiter*innen diskutiert. Während sich die Erwerbstätigkeit in der Lieferdienstbranche zwischen 2012 und 2021 verdoppelt hat, hat der Anteil der Solo-Selbstständigen deutlich abgenommen. Im Jahr 2021 waren mehr als 95 Prozent der Lieferdienstfahrer*innen abhängig beschäftigt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: The Effects of Promoting (Youth) Entrepreneurship (2025)
Garcia, Sebastian Camarero; Henao, Leandro;Zitatform
Garcia, Sebastian Camarero & Leandro Henao (2025): Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: The Effects of Promoting (Youth) Entrepreneurship. (Ruhr economic papers 1189), Essen, 29 S. DOI:10.4419/96973374
Abstract
"Diese Studie nutzt administrative Daten zur Evaluation einer spanischen Reform aus dem Jahr 2013, die Sozialversicherungsbeiträge für junge Selbständige subventionierte. Anspruchsberechtigt waren Männer unter 30 Jahren und Frauen unter 35 Jahren mit einer aktiven Phase der Selbständigkeit im Februar 2013. Die Maßnahme verlängerte weder die Dauer der Selbständigkeit noch erhöhte sie die allgemeinen Beschäftigungswahrscheinlichkeiten. Männliche Selbständige verzeichneten keine signifikanten Einkommensänderungen, während Frauen, die innerhalb von zwei Jahren in abhängige Beschäftigung zurückkehrten, einen Zuwachs der monatlichen Löhne von rund 14% erzielten, hauptsächlich durch Übergänge in höher entlohnte Tätigkeiten im Dienstleistungssektor. Diese Einkommensgewinne konzentrierten sich auf Frauen mit einem höheren Arbeitslosigkeitsrisiko, etwa Mütter und Frauen in ländlichen Regionen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Proactive coping and job insecurity among solo self-employed workers: Investigating a cyclic model with monthly measures (2025)
Zitatform
Langerak, Judith B., Edwin A.J. van Hooft & Jessie Koen (2025): Proactive coping and job insecurity among solo self-employed workers: Investigating a cyclic model with monthly measures. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 162. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104176
Abstract
"Job insecurity can harm workers' health and work performance. Adding to prior research that has mostly identified ways to minimize job insecurity among regular workers (e.g., employment protection legislation), the current research focusses on solo self-employed workers to investigate whether they can influence job insecurity by their own means. Based on proactive coping theory and conservation of resources theory, we propose a cyclic model in which proactive coping and job insecurity influence each other. We expect that more proactive coping during a month relates to less current job insecurity through the accumulation of career resources during the month and that current job insecurity relates to less proactive coping during the next month through psychological strain. We test whether trait self-compassion and recovery experiences mitigate this negative relationship of job insecurity via psychological strain with later proactive coping. The multi-level path modelling results from a 5-wave monthly survey study among 243 solo self-employed workers show that proactive coping during a month decreases current job insecurity via increased career resources. However, while current job insecurity positively related to current psychological strain, this strain was not related to proactive coping during the next month. We found some indication that trait self-compassion may weaken the negative relationship of job insecurity with psychological strain, but found no moderating role of recovery experiences. Instead, recovery experiences directly positively related to proactive coping. We recommend future researchers to further investigate our cyclic model and to sample less advantaged workers to gain better insight into potential loss cycles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Representing and organizing the solo self-employed in Europe: The emergence of a ‘relational representation’ from the combination of prefigurative and contentious politics (2025)
Zitatform
Mezihorak, Petr & Annalisa Murgia (2025): Representing and organizing the solo self-employed in Europe: The emergence of a ‘relational representation’ from the combination of prefigurative and contentious politics. In: Organization, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1177/13505084241310282
Abstract
"Collective representation is traditionally associated with employees, while solo self-employed (SSE) workers, in both regulated and unregulated professions, are usually considered to be autonomous and therefore not in need of representation. However, in recent years, the SSE have increasingly represented their interests collectively, although often outside traditional representative organizations such as trade unions, employer organizations, and professional and business associations. By drawing on two case studies conducted within associations of unregulated SSE based in Germany and Italy, this article introduces the concept of ‘relational representation’. In particular, our findings show how a relational representation acts to support workers’ autonomy by promoting the building of relationships, and at the same time by mobilising both prefigurative and conflictual ways of doing politics, traditionally considered as alternatives. Drawing on feminist relational approaches to (inter)dependence and autonomy, the article discusses three organisational practices that allow for relational representation: engaging with welfare institutions on common professional conditions; redefining relations between representatives and represented; and promoting the exchange of experiences and interests among members." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023) (2025)
Zitatform
Peters, Eileen, Merle Pohlmeyer & Karin Schulze Buschoff (2025): Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023). In: Social indicators research, Jg. 180, H. 1, S. 183-204. DOI:10.1007/s11205-025-03640-8
Abstract
"Previous research indicates that the self-employed have higher subjective well-being (SWB) than employees. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many self-employed individuals experienced exceptionally high levels of economic stress due to limited government and social security support. This is especially true of the solo self-employed (i.e., self-employed without employees). Drawing on nationally representative panel data spanning the years 2019–2023—and thus the onset, peak, and fading out of the pandemic—we used fixed-effects regression models to analyze the SWB trajectories of the solo self-employed and employees in Germany in terms of life satisfaction and job satisfaction. Our results show that SWB was only moderately affected in 2020 but declined steeply in 2021. Although life satisfaction recovered moderately in 2022 and 2023, it remained substantially lower than pre-pandemic levels. The life satisfaction of the solo self-employed decreased more strongly than that of employees in 2020 and 2021. Job satisfaction also saw a steep decline in 2021, with solo self-employed individuals experiencing a greater drop than employees. However, the job satisfaction of the solo self-employed returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, whereas that of employees continued to decline in 2022 and 2023. These insights shed light on how the SWB of different employment groups was affected during this unprecedented crisis and provide valuable information for more effective interventions in future crises." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Entrepreneurial worries: Self-employment and potential loss of well-being (2024)
Zitatform
Binder, Martin (2024): Entrepreneurial worries: Self-employment and potential loss of well-being. In: Journal of Economic Psychology, Jg. 105. DOI:10.1016/j.joep.2024.102773
Abstract
"The relationship between self-employment and life satisfaction has been shown to be heterogeneous in the literature. This paper analyzes a channel through which lower well-being can come about for the self-employed, namely, their worries about their business (“entrepreneurial worries”). Using a two-way fixed effects estimator on German panel data (1984–2020), I find no overall effect of becoming self-employed on life satisfaction, and heterogeneity analysis shows that only those self-employed individuals who change from unemployment to self-employment report higher life satisfaction. Mediation analysis reveals that worries about one’s financial situation (and, to some extent, job security) mediate the relationship between self-employment and life satisfaction. Life satisfaction decreases as self-employed individuals worry more about their financial situation as a result of becoming self-employed. Only if one does not worry about one’s financial situation at all does self-employment contributepositively to life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Solo self-employment - Key policy challenges (2024)
Zitatform
Cieslik, Jerzy & André van Stel (2024): Solo self-employment - Key policy challenges. In: Journal of Economic Surveys, Jg. 38, H. 3, S. 759-792. DOI:10.1111/joes.12559
Abstract
"This study reviews key policy challenges relating to solo self-employed workers––the segment with increasing shares in the workforce in most developed countries in recent decades. We document that this segment attracts the attention of policymakers within four policy domains: addressing decent work deficits, entrepreneurship and small business policies, activating marginalized groups through self-employment, and improving the well-being of the solo self-employed. We offer an integrative framework enabling the analysis of synergies and contradictions of the various policy initiatives targeting the solo self-employed. The study argues that workers who persistently employ only themselves should be understood as a (third) segment of the labor market qualitatively distinct from the traditionally defined categories of “employee” or “employer.” A policy-oriented segmentation of the contemporary workforce using this “blurred trinary divide” is proposed with size estimates of its key segments and subsegments. Finally, the study discusses the prospects of the solo self-employed in the emerging post-pandemic economy and offers recommendations regarding future research and data collection." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Entrepreneur characteristics and determinants of self-employment across Europe (2024)
Zitatform
Coates, Dermot & Martina Lawless (2024): Entrepreneur characteristics and determinants of self-employment across Europe. (ESRI working paper / Economic and Social Research Institute 772), Dublin, 38 S.
Abstract
"Entrepreneurship is a key driver of jobs and innovation. This paper examines the prevalence of entrepreneurship across Europe and characteristics of those who become entrepreneurs. We place a particular focus on the distinction between opportunity and necessity motivations for becoming self-employed. The results in this paper find that one of the most significant barriers to entrepreneurship in Europe is lack of access to finance although this is noticeably lower in Ireland. Examining the characteristics of the self-employed, we find that participation by women and those in younger age cohorts (19-24 and 25-29) are significantly lower than for other groups. The results also suggest that considerations related to personal finances are amongst the main difficulties encountered in being selfemployed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Labour costs and the decision to hire the first employee (2024)
Zitatform
Cockx, Bart & Sam Desiere (2024): Labour costs and the decision to hire the first employee. In: European Economic Review, Jg. 170. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104859
Abstract
"Firms without paid employees account for up to 80 % of all firms, but only a small minority ever hires. This paper investigates the relationship between labour costs and the decision to hire a first employee and become an employer. Leveraging a unique policy in Belgium that permanently reduced the labour cost of the first employee by 13 %, we find that the number of new, first-time employers jumped by 31 % immediately following the reform. The elasticity of the probability to hire the first employee with respect to the labour cost is −2.39 [95 % CI: −3.45, −1.25]." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment and Self-Employment (2024)
Zitatform
Denderski, Piotr & Florian Sniekers (2024): Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment and Self-Employment. In: The Economic Journal, Jg. 134, H. 659, S. 1100-1145. DOI:10.1093/ej/uead093
Abstract
"In most OECD countries, unemployment rates show no trend, which is puzzling if advancements in information and communication technologies decrease labor-market frictions. We show, both analytically and quantitatively, that accounting for the secular decline in self-employment rates solves the puzzle. While declining labor-market frictions can theoretically explain these trends, we provide contradictory causal evidence that the roll-out of broadband internet has increased self-employment and decreased unemployment rates. We reconcile these observations with a new model featuring frictions in both labour and goods markets. We explain falling self-employment and non-trending unemployment quantitatively by labor-market frictions declining relatively more than goods-market frictions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))