New forms of employment
New forms of employment represents the umbrella term for the more diversified forms of employment that are emerging or have been gaining importance since about 2000. Alongside traditional employment relationships, new forms of work are characterised by changing working patterns, contractual relationships, places, duration and schedule of work, increased use of information and communication technologies (ICT), or a combination of those.
Find the latest content on this topic below.
Constrained flexibility: Involuntary non-standard employment in the European Union
This paper analyses the incidence, trends and micro-drivers of involuntary non-standard employment (INE) across EU Member States between 2006 and 2024, using a composite indicator capturing workers employed involuntarily under temporary contracts, in part-time work or both.Gender differences in motivation to engage in platform work
The rise of the platform economy during the last decade is one of the main disrupting forces for European labour markets. While standard employment remains the norm, platforms are expanding their reach and diversifying into novel business models. In doing so, they are also attracting an increasing number of women. This policy brief investigates why women are joining the platform economy and how the motivations to perform work on platforms differ between genders. It shows that while women join platforms to gain an additional income and because it allows them the flexibility to combine work with household chores or family commitments, men are driven by the opportunities provided by platforms to work globally and to expand their client base. At the same time, findings suggest that online platforms seem to provide women with a link to the labour market that can potentially prevent their withdrawal from the labour force during different life stages. These findings suggest that policy action should focus on extending working hours regulations and work–life balance measures to all platform workers, irrespective of employment status, and promote equal sharing of care responsibilities between women and men.
Non-standard employment in the EU: Types, trends and working conditions
This report provides an overview of trends in new and non-standard forms of work across the European Union. Drawing on available comparative European datasets, it maps recent developments in these work arrangements and analyses their implications for job quality. The report also examines actions taken by social partners in recent years to address the challenges posed by new and non-standard forms of work.To fill existing knowledge gaps, since 2013 Eurofound has been exploring the characteristics of emerging forms of employment in EU Member States. The research looks at the implications for working conditions and the labour market.
Social, economic and technological changes in Europe have given rise to new forms of employment. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to an increase in the scale and scope of new forms of employment. Many of these are very different from traditional ‘work’. They transform the traditional one-to-one relationship between employer and employee. They are also characterised by unconventional work patterns and places of work.
Policymakers in the EU are interested in how these new forms of employment can help to build a more resilient and inclusive labour market. Discussion also revolves around how to ensure adequate social protection and decent working conditions. Of key importance in the debate is how to avoid a situation where these new employment forms are less favourable to workers than more established types of employment.
In 2017, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights, setting out 20 core principles essential for well-functioning labour markets. The accompanying 2021 Action Plan notes that digitalisation and the changes brought about in the world of work by the pandemic warrant a wide policy debate that will focus not only on levels of labour market participation but also on adequate working conditions underpinning quality jobs.
The Commission also raised the issue of working conditions in its Communication on 'Shaping Europe’s digital future'. Good working conditions are at the core of a successful digital transition that would promote innovation and technological diffusion.
European Commission: The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Planopens in new tab
European Commission: The European Pillar of Social Rights in 20 principlesopens in new tab
EUR-Lex: Communication on Shaping Europe’s digital futureopens in new tab
Eurofound’s work on new forms of employment links in with the Commission’s 2019–2024 priority on a Europe fit for the digital age.
European Commission: A Europe fit for the digital ageopens in new tab
This is a selection of the most important outputs for this topic.
Watch the webinar - #EurofoundLIVE: Regulating platform work – The EU’s big balancing act
2 December 2021
Initiatives to improve conditions for platform workers: Aims, methods, strengths and weaknesses
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers. Accordingly, across the EU, governments, social partners, grassroots organisations and platforms have started to introduce initiatives to tackle the negative aspects of platform work. This policy brief assesses some such initiatives in the Member States and offers recommendations for further action.
15 December 2020
New forms of employment: 2020 update
Although standard employment (generally full-time and permanent) remains the dominant employment type across the EU, European labour markets are increasingly characterised by a variety of different forms. These new forms of employment involve new formal employment relationships or work patterns (linked to aspects such as place of work, working time or use of ICT) and sometimes both. This report puts the spotlight on nine innovative employment forms across the 27 EU Member States, Norway and the UK. It examines the policy frameworks of each country, as well as mapping the scale and scope of the incidence of these new forms and highlighting the main opportunities and risks associated with each form. The report concludes with some policy recommendations taking into account the future of work that will be shaped by the twin transition to the digital age and a carbon-neutral economy, as well as a new way of working due to COVID-19.
20 September 2020
Back to the future: Policy pointers from platform work scenarios
Platform work– the matching of supply and demand for paid labour through an online platform – is still small in scale but is expected to grow. Accordingly, it is important to anticipate the opportunities and risks related to this business model and employment form. This report explores potential scenarios for two selected types of platform work by 2030, drawing on Eurofound’s ‘Future scenarios of platform work’ project. It assesses the expected implications for the economy, labour market and society if these potential futures were realised. On this basis, policy pointers show what could be done to facilitate desirable and avoid undesirable futures. These policy pointers consider how to capitalise on the opportunities inherent in on-location platform work, the need for regulatory clarity and enforcement, issues around worker representation, and the embeddedness of platform work in the digital age.
16 January 2020
Telework and ICT-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age
Advances in ICT have opened the door to new ways of organising work. We are shifting from a regular, bureaucratic and ‘factory-based’ working time pattern towards a more flexible model of work. Telework and ICT-based mobile work (TICTM) has emerged in this transition, giving workers and employers the ability to adapt the time and location of work to their needs. Despite the flexibility and higher level of worker autonomy inherent in TICTM, there are risks that this work arrangement leads to the deterioration of work–life balance, higher stress levels and failing worker health. This report analyses the employment and working conditions of workers with TICTM arrangements, focusing on how it affects their work–life balance, health, performance and job prospects. While policymakers in many EU countries are debating TICTM and its implications, the study finds that only a few have implemented new regulations to prevent TICTM from having a negative impact on the well-being of workers.
28 January 2020
The pandora’s box of the platform economy
Researchers at Eurofound provide expert insights and can be contacted for questions or media requests.
Cesira Urzì Brancati
Research officerCesira Urzì Brancati is a research officer in the Employment unit at Eurofound. Her research interests include the impact of technology on employment and the digitalisation of work, with a focus on digital labour platforms, digital surveillance and algorithmic management. She specialises in microeconometrics, questionnaire design and survey data analysis. Before joining Eurofound in 2024, Cesira worked at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, at the International Longevity Centre in London, at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and at the University of Turin. She holds a Master’s degree and a PhD in International Economics from the University of Tor Vergata, in Rome.
Dragoș Adăscăliței
Research officerDragoș Adăscăliței is a research officer in the Employment unit at Eurofound. His current research focuses on topics related to the future of work, including the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, the consequences of automation for employment and regulatory issues surrounding platform work. He is also a regular contributor to comparative projects monitoring structural changes in European labour markets. Prior to joining Eurofound, he was a lecturer in Employment Relations at the University of Sheffield, Management School. He holds an MA in Political Science from Central European University and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Mannheim.
This section provides access to all content that has been published on the topic.
