Nederlandse wet- en regelgeving rondom zzp'ers in internationaal perspectief

Dutch legislation on solo self-employed persons from an international perspective In comparison to other European countries, the Netherlands has a lot of solo self-employed persons and has also experienced a strong growth in this number in recent years. It is likely that Dutch legislation and regulations play a role in this, although this is difficult to determine empirically. In the development of the share of solo self-employed persons, the choice to become a solo self-employed (supply side) and the choice of employers to hire solo self-employed (demand side) both play a role. The laws and regulations in a country can influence these choices. Based on a literature study, this article aims to provide an overview of the costs and benefits of solo self-employment and the institutional factors that can influence the weighting of these costs and benefits. The Netherlands is compared with four other countries, namely Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark. The outcome shows that under Dutch legislation hiring solo self-employed instead of employees is beneficial for employers in several ways. The Netherlands also has a number of targeted schemes that make it attractive for people to become solo self-employed.