My vision of a future of work shaped by freelancers. Presentation given at the Tunisian Freelancers Day on 23/01/2019

1. The #FutureOfWork
… Giving Superpowers to Freelancers
Tunisian Freelancers Day – 23/01/2019

2. The New York City’s subway system has reported in April 2017 that,
for the first time in 30 years:
growth was strongest
outside of the
traditional morning and
evening rush hours
The Rush Hour is Gone
… this is because people are ditching the conventional commute
to a 9-to-5 job, so they can live and work differently.

5. Freelancing in America, Freelancers Union and Upwork report, 2017
In 2027 Freelancers will be Making History
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
35.8% 39.89% 44.2% 50.9%
Non-Freelancers
Freelancers
Expected% of U.S.
Workforce that
freelances
2027: Expected year
When Majority of the U.S.
Workforce is a freelancer
102.7
101.3 99.7
98.1
96.3
94.5
92.5
90.4
88.2
85.9
83.4
80.8
90.1
83.0
79.6
76.4
73.370.4
67.6
64.8
62.2
59.357.3
86.5

6. Type
Contract
Length
Place
Protection
Employee
Open-ended
Decades
In-house
Linked to
premises
Subcontractor
Temporary
Years
Out-house
Linked to
status
Freelancer
Self-employed
Months/Days
Home/Cowor-
king space
Linked to
individual
Tasker
On demand
Hours/
Minutes
Platforms
To be
invented
Adapted from Thomas Malone | The spectrum of jobs
The Shortening of Work

7. A high degree of autonomy
They exercise control over their workload
and portfolio, giving them a greater
degree of flexibility than employees.
Payment by task, assignment, or sales
They are paid for their output – the
completion of a project, rather than their
input – number of hours worked.
Taking on business risk
They take responsibility for their finance,
social security and tax responsibilities.
How to Spot a Freelancer
Short-term relationship with clients
They can begin work immediately without
infrastructures, funding, a business plan
and often learn business skills as they go.
Measuring growth in unconventional ways
They want to keep their business at a
manageable size, balancing income
generation with creativity, freedom, self-
reliance and well-being.
Highly-skilled / well-educated self-employed worker without employees nor employers

8. 1. Full-Time Freelancers
[40% of all EU freelancers]
Traditional freelancers who derive their primary
income from independent work and do not have
an employer nor employees.
E.g. A freelance chiropractor in a private practice.
2. Part-Time Freelancers (Moonlighters)
[45% of all EU freelancers]
Individuals with multiple sources of income
from a mix of traditional employer and
freelance work.
E.g. A freelance professor who also gives online
paid speeches and writes/sells an e-book.
3. Temporary Freelancers
[10% of all EU freelancers]
Individuals with a single employer, client, job, or
contract project where their employment status
is temporary.
E.g. A freelance consultant working for one client
on a contract basis for a month-long project.
4. Freelance Business Owners
[5% of all EU freelancers]
Freelancers who provide their services through
a limited company rather than as a solo trader.
E.g. A freelance social marketing guru with her
own one-person company.
Segmentation

12. “I offered Richard the service of my free lances, and he refused
them—I will lead them to hull, seize on shipping, and embark for
Flanders; thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always
find employment”.
- Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoé (1820)

13. Consultants PR/Marketing prof. IT prof. Journalists/Cartoonists
Real estate prof. Artists Translators/Interpreters Magicians
Football players Top models Headhunters Editors
Interior designers Meteorologists Virtual assistants Therapists
Social workers Detectives Fitness trainers Photographers
Social media prof. Exotic dancers Actors/Film Makers Game developers
Bloggers Opera singers Tour guides Fortune Tellers
Buskers Yoga instructors Landscape Gardeners Personal coaches
Senior carers/Nannies Chiropractors Web developers Bitcoin miners
Examples of Freelancers

14. Megatrends in the Future of Work

15. Giving Superpowers to Freelancers
Nick Grossman (@nickgrossman) - Solving the on-demand economy’s 1099 problem

16. freelancer employee
unemployed employed
amateur professional
consumer producer
c
user provider
Sliding Roles
c c c

17. Admin
burdens
Access to
finance
Digital
infrastruc-
tures
Crossbord-
er work
Social
security
Missclass-
ificationLate
payments
Upskilling
Procurement
rules
Microbiz
support
Prof.
qualifications
recognition
Tax & VAT
Work-life
balance
Proper
counting
Gig
economy
Recognition
& definition
Coworking
support
Regulatory Issues Affecting Freelancers
Insurance
Dispute
resolution

18. Supportive Policies Across the World
1. Freelance isn’t free act New York, 2017
2. Definition of independent worker codified in a Statute Belgium, 2007
3. Third category of workers between employees and self-employed Germany, 1999
4. Redress obligations of platforms when delisting users EU, 2018
5. Auto-entrepreneur scheme France, 2009
6. Freelancers Visa Germany, 2011
7. Freelancer Limited Liability Company UK, 2015
8. Portability of social security for freelancers US, 2016
9. Voucher based work Belgium, 2004
10. Consultation of the self-employed in the Social Dialogue The Netherlands, 1969
11. Gig economy training toolkit San Francisco, 2017
12. One-stop shop for occasional shows France, 1999

19. 1. Define freelancers as a unique subset of micro-enterprises in the SME definition.
2. Produce new and more regular government surveys on the freelance workforce, with
up-to-date categories and criteria (measure work, not jobs).
3. Make simplified policy that considers freelancers, with impact assessments adapted
to self-employment (thresholds and exemptions).
4. Ensure freelancers can access work, public procurement, credit, social security,
training, infrastructures and tax benefits at employees’ levels and conditions.
5. Nominate a government representative to act as an interlocutor and consult
freelancers’ representatives before making policy affecting them.
6. Support practical research that “tells the truth” and investigates the heterogeneity of
freelancers, a very diverse group in a continuously evolving environment.
Recommendations for Policy Makers

20. What Would Happen to Our Cities
… if we all were freelancers

22. “There are laws for people and
laws for businesses, but we are a
new category, a third category …
people as businesses.”
- Brian Chesky, CEO Airbnb
“My father had one job in his
life, I've had six in mine, my kids
will have six at the same time.”
- Robin Chase, CEO Zipcar

24. Marco Torregrossa
Secretary General | European Forum of Independent Professionals
about.me/marcotorregrossa | @MarcoTorreg

25. • Understanding Independent Professionals in the EU, Lorence Nye and Kayte Jenkins, June 2016.
• Freelancing in America, Freelancers Union and Upwork report, 2017.
• How do the staffing needs of companies evolve?, Denis Pennel presentation at ILO ITC, 2nd November 2015.
• The Future of Work: Skills and Resilience for a World of Change, European Political Strategy Centre, 10 June 2016.
• Future of Work White Paper, World Employment Confederation, September 2016.
• Independent work: Choice, necessity, and the gig economy, McKinsey Global Report, October 2016.
• Platform Labour or Crowdsourcing, Prof. Ursula Huws, 2015.
• The State of Contingent Workforce Management: The 2014-2015 Guidebook for Managing Non-Traditional
Talent, Ardent Partners, 2015.
• The Role of Freelancers in the 21st Century British Economy, Prof. Andrew Burke, 2012.
• Jeremiah Owyang, Keynote on Slideshare: The Collaborative Economy.
• The City of The Future (animation), Upwork.
Sources