Social Security Outside the Realm of the Employment Contract: Informal Work and Employee-Like Workers

Over recent years, the inability of social security protection to reach workers without a formal employment contract has become an inconvenient reality in both the global north and south. This book explores how provisions for income security can be revised to effectively meet the needs of the labour force in varying economies.

In developing economies, informal employment has traditionally accounted for a high proportion of overall employment and this trend looks set to continue. In the global north, the increasing use of flex-contracts and ‘dependent self-employment’ has led to a rise in the number of workers with limited income protection. An additional challenge for countries in both hemispheres is the rise of the ‘gig’ economy. This book is the first to open up a dialogue about social security coverage in the developed and developing world. Authors from both sides of the divide have contributed chapters and present a variety of insights, experiments and practices with the aim of identifying better ways to combat the growing social security challenge.

Academic researchers with an interest in labour law and social policy will find this book to be an engaging source of innovative research. Practicing lawyers and policy makers will also benefit from the insights and examples provided from a number of different jurisdictions.