4 minute read
Future Occupations
Next Article
Future occupation # 1: Remote worker
Why this occupation is needed
For some time, technology has made it easier for employees to more freely choose how, where and when to work. Thanks to AR and VR, even more occupations, such as technicians and installers, can work remotely. This means that more people have control over their work situation, while people and companies located in remote areas or with limited opportunity to move can receive professional help.
Examples of tasks (depending on occupational category)
•Remote guidance for installations • Remote guidance for mechanical repairs • Distance education
Examples of skills
•Expertise in the field in which you work remotely • Knowledge of AR/VR • Background in education to be able to provide optimal guidance/training/education
Need for new forms of social protection systems
Current regulations are not adapted to alternative forms of work
The development of self-employment and freelancing has enabled many people to have control over their own time and careers. Meanwhile, many social protection systems are not adapted to alternative forms of work, for which reason people who do not have permanent employment often fall between the cracks. In the US, where the gig economy has advanced farthest, platforms and initiatives have recently emerged to facilitate and ensure fair conditions for gig workers. For example, freelance platforms Fiverr and AND.CO have created what they call “the first standardised freelance contract with built-in sexual harassment protections”. On the Freelance Circle platform, freelancers in the field of marketing can anonymously rate the agencies they work for, thereby providing freelancers with a voice and the opportunity to find fair agencies.
In Sweden, too, discussions are underway regarding the need to improve the safety net for freelancers and the self-employed. The Swedish Federation of Business Owners (Företagarna) conducted a campaign to break the “employment norm”. In addition, the Association of Management and Professional Staff (Ledarna) recently presented a report based on an investigation of the Swedish model, where they hold that the entire labour market should be used as a point of departure – including people who work for their own companies, for umbrella companies, or through platform companies.
“The younger generation wants the freedom to have control over their own time and lifestyle, including by taking various gig jobs. But as they age, security becomes more important, and then the employer is expected to have social protection systems in place.”
Anne-Marie Andric, CHRO iZettle
The expert: “The lack of a self-employed model prevents Sweden from fully harnessing its innovative power"
Anna Troberg, chairperson of DIK, the trade union for culture and communication, is among those pushing for a better safety net for the self-employed and contractors. She believes that Sweden needs a model for the self-employed.
Why is a model for the self-employed necessary?
The Swedish model and the social protection systems we have today are largely designed based on people with permanent employment, leaving the self-employed and freelancers to fall between the cracks. This means that we have an entire group of people in the labour market who contribute to the economy, but who do not have equal access to the social protection system.
What does this mean in practice and what are the negative consequences?
One example would be when people who are self-employed experience a slump in business, as many do – especially at the beginning – it is difficult to obtain financial assistance, which means they may be forced to close the business in order to receive unemployment benefits. Today, we also see that self-employed people are less likely to take sick leave than employees – not because they are not sick, but because they cannot afford to take sick leave. Starting a business contributes to the national economy and to innovation, but without social protection systems such development comes to a halt. Thus the lack of social protection systems affects both the individual and the national economy.
How much progress do you think we will have made in these matters by 2030?
Hopefully, by 2030 we will have adopted a social protection system that is adapted to the self-employed and freelancers, which will allow us to focus on and develop other types of support services. Services are already available to help with the administrative aspects. One natural development, I think, is that we will see more humane support to help the self-employed and freelancers achieve a more sustainable work situation. Examples include mental coaching, stress management and ensuring that people do not work too much. Solutions are needed to ensure that work environment initiatives also cover the self-employed and contractors, as is clarification of the client’s responsibility for the work environment.
