Policy Responses to New Forms of Work

Chapter 1. Introduction

In recent years, many countries have seen the emergence of, and/or growth in, particular labour contract types that diverge from the standard employment relationship (i.e. full-time dependent employment of indefinite duration). These include temporary and casual contracts, as well as own-account work and platform work (i.e. work mediated by a digital platform company). While they may bring advantages in terms of flexibility for both workers and employers, concerns have been voiced around job quality and the potential negative impact of excessive and/or improper use of such contracts. Several countries have also seen growth in false self-employment, where employers seek to evade tax and regulatory dues and obligations.

These changes are driving policymakers worldwide to review how policies in different areas – labour market, skills development, social protection – can best respond. How can policymakers balance the flexibility offered by a diversity of employment contracts, on the one hand, with protections for workers and businesses, on the other?

This question has led the OECD and the European Commission to undertake a study on recent and emerging policy responses to new forms of work. This report draws on the results of a survey of 44 Ministries of Labour (or the ministry with responsibility for labour market policy) in OECD, EU and G20 countries (as shown in Table 1.1), carried out primarily1 between June and August in 2018.

Table 1.1. Countries that responded to the survey

Argentina	Estonia	Korea	Romania
Australia	Finland	Latvia	Russian Federation
Austria	France	Lithuania	Saudi Arabia
Belgium	Germany	Luxembourg	Slovak Republic
Bulgaria	Greece	Malta	Slovenia
Canada	Hungary	Mexico	Spain
Chile	Iceland	Netherlands	Sweden
Croatia	Ireland	New Zealand	Switzerland
Cyprus	Israel	Norway	Turkey
Czech Republic	Italy	Poland	United Kingdom
Denmark	Japan	Portugal	United States

Note by Turkey: The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Turkey recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Turkey shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.

Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union: The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Turkey. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.

The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.

The questionnaire (found in Annex A) asked countries to report any recent or emerging public policy responses to new forms of work across a range of policy areas including employment regulation, working conditions, social protection, collective bargaining and skills development. While a variety of existing systems and contexts are represented among the countries surveyed, this report focuses more on the direction travelled (i.e. highlighting recent changes as reported in the survey) than on the point of origin. The policy responses should not be read as recommendations as the specific circumstances and challenges of each country vary, and most have not yet been formally evaluated.

The report provides a snapshot of the policy actions being taken by countries in response to growing diversity in forms of employment, with the aim of encouraging peer learning where countries are facing similar issues. Chapter 2 identifies the forms of work that are currently capturing the most attention in the policy arena in each of the surveyed countries, as well as the nature of the policy debate that surrounds them.

Chapter 3 to Chapter 7 deal with matters of labour regulation. In particular, Chapter 3 discusses policy approaches to worker classification. Chapter 4 to Chapter 6 cover other forms of work currently capturing the attention of policymakers: platform work, fixed-term work and variable hours contracts. Chapter 7 covers cross-cutting issues such as occupational safety and health and compliance with labour law.

Chapter 8 to Chapter 11 cover some common themes brought up by countries in relation to new forms of work, including efforts to: ensure adequate social protection (Chapter 8); improve participation in adult learning (Chapter 9) and access to Public Employment Services (Chapter 10); and tackle obstacles to collective bargaining and social dialogue (Chapter 11).

Chapter 12 describes efforts to build better evidence on new forms of work through data collection and through collaboration with other countries and across ministries. The report concludes in Chapter 13 with some policy principles for countries wishing to adapt to recent labour market developments, based on the information collected through this study and other OECD work on the Future of Work (OECD, 2019[1]).

Note

← 1.  41 responses were provided by the end of August 2018, with a further 3 responses provided between September and November 2018, and further information provided through email correspondence up to February 2019.