{"id":11835,"date":"2026-01-22T20:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=11835"},"modified":"2026-01-22T20:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:59:16","slug":"poor-self-employed-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2026\/01\/22\/poor-self-employed-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Poor Self-Employed Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In-work poverty does not affect only employees; it is also present among the self-employed. However, it is less visible and harder to measure, due to the lack of detailed analyses of the socioeconomic conditions of both traditional and emerging professions. Behind the category of \u201cindependent workers\u201d lie very different realities: financially stable professionals and struggling micro-enterprises, fake VAT registrations used to disguise dependent employment, and genuine self-employed workers who nonetheless prove fragile in the face of demographic and technological change. This great variety of situations is compounded by insufficient protections and fragmented welfare provisions, especially for those enrolled in the INPS separate scheme. What is needed are differentiated measures and a fairer protection system, capable of supporting those who work without an employer\u2014but not without risks.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When discussing in-work poverty, attention almost automatically turns to employees: old and new forms of exploitation, underpaid gigs, or involuntary part-time workers struggling to make ends meet. Marx or no Marx, we are accustomed to thinking about poverty through the lens of subordinate employment: the hardship of those who carry out orders, dependence on an employer, and unequal bargaining power.<\/p>\n

It is harder to grasp the risk of poverty embedded in self-employment. We lack the conceptual tools to do so. Why would someone willingly impose alienation and self-exploitation on themselves? Why choose uncertainty, low income, and lack of protection? Without a boss to blame, we tend not to recognize the phenomenon. We do not see poor self-employment. Yet it exists.<\/p>\n

A Little-Known Galaxy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sometimes the problem is not conceptual, but empirical. The Working Group on Measures to Combat In-Work Poverty in Italy<\/em>, established under the Draghi government, carried out valuable analytical and policy work, culminating in a report published in November 2021.<\/p>\n

Using EU-SILC data for 2006\u20132017, the group measured in-work poverty in Italy and compared it with other European countries. But these data are too aggregated to fully capture the many forms of self-employment, from liberal professions to individual VAT holders. For this reason, even the report\u2019s policy recommendations are more robust for dependent employment than for self-employment.<\/p>\n

Detailed analyses of the socioeconomic conditions of traditional and new professions, and of the most effective tools to reduce poverty among VAT workers, are still lacking. This knowledge gap once again renders invisible a growing segment of struggling workers.<\/p>\n

Who Are the Working Poor Among Employees and the Self-Employed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

ISTAT data in the figure below show that over the past decade, the share of households in relative poverty has remained fairly stable, but with strong differences across occupational groups.<\/p>\n

These are households lacking sufficient resources to maintain a socially acceptable standard of living. More precisely, their equivalized disposable income falls below 60% of the national median. Poverty risk is measured at household level, but families are classified according to the occupation of their main income earner.<\/p>\n

Manual workers remain by far the most exposed: nearly one in five live below the poverty line, with rates between 16% and 19%. Among employees as a whole, the rate is around 10% and has remained flat despite the post-pandemic recovery.<\/p>\n

Among the self-employed, the picture is more complex. Entrepreneurs and professionals have low and stable poverty rates, around 3%. But this average conceals wide disparities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther independents\u201d\u2014VAT holders, artisans, and shopkeepers without employees\u2014show rates two to three times higher, rising above 11% after the pandemic. This is where poor self-employment is concentrated: micro-enterprises and individual VAT workers unable to generate sufficient income, often without safety nets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In summary, the risk of poor self-employment encompasses very diverse profiles. The Observatory of Liberal Professions is currently working on this complexity in a forthcoming report.<\/p>\n

There are fake VAT arrangements used to circumvent labor regulations. There is a gray area between dependent and independent work, often marked by weak bargaining power vis-\u00e0-vis dominant clients. And there is genuine self-employment struggling with demographic and technological change, from depopulation to artificial intelligence. Responses must therefore be differentiated.<\/p>\n

Fake self-employment should be tackled by extending key protections of dependent work, following Article 2 of Legislative Decree 81\/2015. At the same time, genuine self-employment must be strengthened through expanded welfare, lifelong learning, and support for technological and organizational transitions.<\/p>\n

The State of Welfare for the Self-Employed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite the reformist ambitions of the Self-Employment Statute (Law 81\/2017), a true safety net is still lacking. This is one of the causes of poor self-employment.<\/p>\n

Privatized pension funds play a key role, managing compulsory pensions for over 1.5 million professionals. According to MEFOP, these funds have expanded into supplementary welfare: income support during illness, maternity benefits, training grants, and digitalization aid. Over 500 non-pension benefits are now mapped.<\/p>\n

Most funds offer basic health coverage, often extendable to families. About half provide long-term care benefits. More than half offer support for illness, accidents, disasters, or survivors. Around 40% concern professional support, such as subsidized loans and digital services.<\/p>\n

However, disparities are stark. Larger, financially solid funds provide far more benefits than smaller ones. The result is a fragmented system reflecting internal inequalities, yet still a key pillar of professional welfare.<\/p>\n

Who Protects the New Professions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many professionals do not belong to regulated bodies: archaeologists, tax advisors, IT consultants, property managers, tour guides, translators, and others. Since 1996, they have been covered by the INPS separate scheme.<\/p>\n

Their number grew from about 135,000 in 1996 to 545,000 in 2024, rising 68% in ten years and 30% post-Covid. This reflects both new professions and the flat-rate tax regime.<\/p>\n

Welfare provisions under the separate scheme are weak compared with employee protections. They mainly cover maternity, parental leave, and severe illness. Despite improvements in 2017, benefits remain modest relative to contributions.<\/p>\n

Only about 30% of contributions are returned as benefits, and less than 20% including ISCRO (introduced in 2021). This shows that professionals both lack adequate protection and subsidize INPS surpluses.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers attempted to address this with ISCRO, based on a CNEL proposal, but results have been limited. CNEL has since developed a new bill to strengthen welfare and remove access barriers.<\/p>\n

The core idea is to create an autonomous fund for assistance within the separate scheme, using existing additional contributions. These funds are currently often diverted to INPS balance sheets. The new fund would have transparent governance with self-employed representatives.<\/p>\n

The aim is to build genuine extended welfare for these professionals.<\/p>\n

The ball is now in Parliament\u2019s court.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Andrea Dili is a certified public accountant and Vice President of Confprofessioni. He writes for Il Sole 24 Ore.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tommaso Nannicini is Full Professor of Economics at Bocconi University and at the European University Institute. He is Scientific Director of the Observatory of Liberal Professions.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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