1. LAMAS Working Group 19-21 June 2017
Agenda Item 2.7 Detailed topic on 'Dependent self-employed'
30 min
Eurostat

2. Background AHM 2017 will not be repeated as a full module
Up to three annual variables in the core LFS instead
Final decision to be taken by the December 2017 LAMAS
Last chance for you to instruct TF2 on what to work on until then
The 2017 ad hoc module will not be repeated in full, but the LAMAS has instead given space in the core for up to three annual variables on the topic of self-employment.
We need to have the final list of variables by the end of the year, so if the LAMAS has any instructions to Task Force 2 (which is charged with this topic), now is the time to say so.

3. Provisionally approved by LAMAS in 2015
To be inserted into the core LFS:
Number and importance of clients in the last 12 months (MAINCLNT)
Influence over deciding working hours (WORKORG)
These two variables (number and importance of clients and influence over working hours) will, in the AHM 2017, be the defining features of the dependent self-employed. The LAMAS has therefore already short-listed them for the spots in the core
In clear text this means that the economically dependent self-employed are the "selfemployed
without employees AND has either only one or one clearly dominant client
AND whose (one or main) client decides the working hours".
That, at least for now, leaves one open space for the third variable

4. Results of LAMAS EoV (1/2)
WORKORG / VARIWT merge?
Yes: 28
Blank: 3
Agreed in written procedure of LAMAS
The second point is the approval of the merge of the variables workorg and variwt. The voting result is, by LAMAS standards, shockingly clear, so we will not spend any more time on that.

5. Results of LAMAS EoV (2/2)
The third variable:
Reason for becoming self-employed (REASSE):
22 'yes' (of 31 possible)
Consequence for the business of the loss of the main client (LOSSDIFF):
3 'yes' (of 31 possible)
Influence over setting the price (new proposal, not voted on, some positive comments received)
It then just remains to decide on what the third variable should be, and what to make of the test results
REASSE TF2 tests: re-insert 'continued the family business'. The critique of the AHM 2017 version was that it had too many answer options, but the test now showed that deleting 'family business' was a bad idea.
The LOSSDIFF variable has some support, but falls far behind the reason for becoming self-employed.
Additionally, in the latest meeting of Task Force 2, there was a suggestion for another variable, namely influence over setting the price. This is linked to the ongoing work of the ILO. Kieran to comment on this?

6. LAMAS is asked to decide on if:
the third variable will be REASSE
its answer options should again have 'took over the family business' or
if TF2 should work on a variable on "setting the price" with a final decision in the December 2017 LAMAS
Summing up,
You have already decided to combine workorg with variwt.
And shortlisted MAINCLNT and workorg/variwt for the core
What we need you to do is to tell us if task force 2 should work further on the new variable suggestion of setting the price, or if we just go for the reason for becoming self-employed
We also want your formal approval or rejection of re-adding 'family business' in the REASSE variable