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Oliver Stettes IW-Trends No. 1 14. April 2023 Solo Self-employed and Contract Workers as Catalysts of Digital Transformation in German Companies

In 2021, around one in four companies in Germany had solo self-employed workers or employees of outside companies working for them under contract.

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Solo Self-employed and Contract Workers as Catalysts of Digital Transformation in German Companies
Oliver Stettes IW-Trends No. 1 14. April 2023

Solo Self-employed and Contract Workers as Catalysts of Digital Transformation in German Companies

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

In 2021, around one in four companies in Germany had solo self-employed workers or employees of outside companies working for them under contract.

This is the conclusion drawn by an empirical analysis based on the 29th and 30th waves of the IW Personnel Panel conducted in the spring and summer of 2022. Companies rely on solo self-employed and contract workers from outside companies when they need additional personnel only for a limited time and can obtain staff quickly from external sources. However, by using external workers, they also gain access to specific know-how not available in their own workforces. In addition, their use has an insurance function. It turns out that the use of external staff is a catalyst for digital transformation at the company level. Solo self-employed workers tend to play an important role in the introduction of digital frontier technologies, while contract workers from outside companies tend to be used in the implementation of more mature technologies.

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Solo Self-employed and Contract Workers as Catalysts of Digital Transformation in German Companies
Oliver Stettes IW-Trends No. 1 14. April 2023

Solo Self-employed and Contract Workers as Catalysts of Digital Transformation in German Companies

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

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Analysis of the working conditions of office workers
Andrea Hammermann / Oliver Stettes IW-Report No. 62 10. December 2023

Office work in transition: Analysis of the working conditions of office workers

Office work has changed considerably over time and reflects both technical progress and the zeitgeist of the decades.

IW

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Mareike Decker / Carolin Fulda / Maisun Lange IW-Trends No. 4 24. November 2023

Working with Long COVID: Impacts and Options for Work Arrangements

A SARS-CoV-2 infection can have long-term health consequences, a phenomenon commonly known as Long COVID, which often affect individuals of working age.

IW

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