A Compendium of Digital Solutions Providing Benefits and Security for the Self-Employed in the Gig Economy - Marco Torregrossa, EuroFreelancers

1. THE WORKERTECH ECOSYSTEM
Digital Solutions for the Self-Employed in the Gig Economy
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Työterveyslaitos, Helsinki 09/08/2019

2. What is WorkerTech?
Digital service offerings that harness technology to provide the self-
employed with personalized benefits and greater access to
protections and rights.
They combine the flexibility of self-employment with the perks
traditionally associated with salaried employees.
Learn more by following the Twitter hashtag: #WorkerTech #JobTech

3. Source: Inline Policy, 2018

4. My dad Now Future of WorkersFuture of Work
Adapted from Albert Canigueral, OuiShare (@AlbertCanig)

5. “When it comes to workers’ wages, rights
and wellbeing, technology isn’t all bad”
-Matt Stokes, Nesta

6. Who’s Developing WorkerTech?
1. Startups
which have taken
advantage of gaps in the
market and regulatory
landscapes to open up
sectors like insurance and
banking, and offer
products specifically
designed to the self-
employed and gig workers.
2. Traditional Companies
(insurance, finance,
training, etc.) which have
identified a business
opportunity and are
starting to adapt their
service offering to the
emerging workforce.
3. Policymakers
Frontrunner government
departments that are
aware labour regulations
need to keep pace with
technology.

7. Why this is Important
Emergent WorkerTech applications can offer employee-style arrangements
for the self-employed, while still being a personalised choice.
Against a backdrop of very low intake of private pension and insurance for
the self-employed across Europe, WorkerTech solutions are badly needed.
Otherwise the welfare state will be coming under increasing pressure.
WorkerTech solutions can provide valuable services to the entire
workforce. And, in countries with a high percentage of informal economy,
these services can also promote the formalization of labour relationships.

8. Source: Eurostat, 2018

9. Source: Freelancing in America Report, 2017

10. 80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2014 2015 2018
4
10
12 12 13 15
5
19
53
30
21
2016
Usetoday
2017
Considering next 2years
UpWorkF500
Source: SIA CW BuyersSurvey
Forecast of companies sourcing via onlineplatforms

11. Source: SHRM and SAP SuccessFactors, Want Your Business to Thrive? Cultivate Your External Talent.

12. WorkerTech Examples

13. On-demand insurance
Insurance solutions that are responsive to real-time activity of the self-
employed with lower contributions when there is no work or downtime
Examples: Zego, Slice, Dinghy, SafetyWing, Stride

19. Collective representation/action
Digital solutions to bring workers together on an ad-hoc basis and
campaign on a single issue
Examples: Coworker.org, Fair Crowd Work, Organise, Tech Workers
Coalition

24. Tax, banking and payments
Solutions designed specifically for the flexibility of self-employment like
budget management tools, real time payments and freelance savings
accounts
Examples: Coconut, Joust, Mastercard, SimplyPaid, Multiply

30. Pensions
Solutions allowing flexible retirement contributions by the self-employed
with no recurrent fixed rates
Examples: Nest, HonestDollar, Betterment

34. Portable benefits
Solutions allowing the self-employed to accrue benefits tied to the
individual which move with them from gig to gig
Examples: The Black Car Fund, Portify, Trupo, Qwil

39. Online redress
Solutions offering workers to lodge complaints against late payments,
removal from a platform, or changes to a contract
Examples: EU Platform-to-Business Regulation

41. Revenue optimization
Solutions offering gig workers opportunities to maximise their income
Examples: SherpaShare, Hurdlr, Uber Quest, Dovetail X

46. Skills training
Solutions offering flexible ways to deliver learning and upskilling for the
self-employed that can be undertaken at any time and in any place
Examples: Mindfresh, edX, Jolt

50. Portable ratings/reviews
Solutions aggregating reputational credit from across platforms, with a
score for workers that they could carry with them
Examples: mydigitalbackpack, Traity, Deemly, Credly

55. Dispute resolution
Digital legal solutions based on arbitration for the self-employed and
their clients to solve conflicts
Examples: FairClaims, Avvo, CurtBuddy

59. Access to work
Solutions allowing the self-employed to access coworking, collective
resources and technical material for their work
Examples: Croissant, LightyShared, Hyre Car, Loconomics, BreadFunds,
House of Gigs

66. APIs for platforms
Set of government backed APIs solutions that build features on top of
existing work platforms
Examples: Jobtech Dev, Swedish JobTech, Central Database of Available
Hours (CEDAH)

70. Common Features of WokerTech
1. Individualised solutions allowing the self-employed to choose a specific benefit.
2. Use existing and emerging technology to ensure access to benefits.
3. More dynamic, flexible and responsive to real time earnings of the self-employed.
4. Allow the self-employed to access benefits regardless of the number of platforms
and customers they are working with.

71. Next Steps
1. Data and good practices collection (Q2 2019) - COMPLETED
2. Bilateral stakeholder consultations (Q3 2019) - ONGOING
3. Roundtable with selected initiatives and online survey (Q4 2019)
4. Final report with policy and other recommendations (Q4 2019)
5. Outreach to governments and large companies (Q1 2020)

72. http://bit.ly/COTECPlataformasWorkerTech
Live directory of #WorkerTech initiatives, regularly updated.
Curated by Albert Canigueral, OuiShare (@AlbertCanig)

73. Marco Torregrossa
Secretary General | EFIP & CEO | Euro Freelancers
marco.torregrossa@euro-freelancers.eu
about.me/marcotorregrossa | @MarcoTorreg

74. Sources
The digital labour market under debate. Platforms, Workers, Rights and
WorkerTech. English Executive Summary, OuiShare, Albert Canigueral, 2019
The emergence of WorkerTech. How new businesses and platforms support
independent workers in the labour market. Inline Policy, 2018