Automation and the Spread of AI May Be Driving Workers into Self-Employment: New ILO Study
Modern technologies may be pushing certain categories of workers toward unstable self-employment.
Those most at risk include low-paid workers and individuals engaged in low-skilled occupations, according to a report published on the International Labour Organization (ILO) website.
The study, titled “Technological Progress and the Dynamics of Self-Employment: Worker-Level Evidence for Europe”, was conducted by Ronald Bachmann, Head of the “Labour Markets, Education, and Population” Department at the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, and Santo Milasi, Economist at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Brussels.
The researchers distinguish between two forms of self-employment:
• Solo self-employment, and
• Self-employment through independent business ownership.
Their findings show that individuals whose jobs have already been impacted by artificial intelligence are more likely to become solo self-employed.
However, these same individuals tend to return to traditional employment when such opportunities arise.
In occupational sectors undergoing increased automation, people are less likely to shift into self-employment.
As the authors explain:
“This suggests that technology may create new opportunities for highly skilled workers. For others, it may lead to greater job insecurity and force them to work independently, often with limited support. Many become self-employed not by choice, but because they are unable to find decent, stable employment.”
The authors also warn of a growing risk:
“There is a danger that technology will widen inequality in terms of who benefits from its use.”
To mitigate these potential negative consequences, the researchers recommend action at both government and employer levels.
Key measures include:
• Supporting workers in adapting to new technologies;
• Expanding and modernizing social protection systems;
• Promoting training and reskilling for the use of emerging technologies in professional activity.
They emphasize that new models of social protection must account for self-employment and non-standard forms of work.
GCTU News
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Viktor Pinsky: GCTU Should Play a Leading Role in Organizing Trade Union Education in the CIS
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), believes that the GCTU should take a leading role in developing a system for training, retraining, and upgrading the skills of personnel, exchanging experiences, and educating leaders and trade union activists across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
"We already have successful experience in organizing trade union education. This year over 400 people from six countries participated in the GCTU’s first two educational programs. The idea to launch such programs came directly from the requests of our member organizations. Internships are another in-demand format, especially among young people. They provide an opportunity to personally visit international organizations and see their work from the inside," said Viktor Pinsky.
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For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not merely a day of spring and renewal. Above all, it is an opportunity to once again reflect on the role of women in the world of work and in global development as a whole. Today, women perform 55% of the world’s total labor. They work longer hours than men—by 6 to 13 hours per week—and still earn less: on average, women’s wages amount to 66–84% of men’s wages, depending on the country. There is objective evidence that the more a country values women’s labor and the smaller the gender pay gap, the more developed its economy. A special issue is the “invisibility” of women’s domestic and, as experts call it, reproductive labor. This is why trade unions should continue to fight for justice for working women.
I congratulate all women of the CIS, my colleagues in the parliamentary corps, and women in trade unions on International Women’s Day. I wish you justice, decent work, success, and prosperity!
Viktor Pinsky
General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, Member of the State Duma
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General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
The General Confederation of Trade Unions’ (GCTU) proposals are reflected in the draft CIS model law “On Cross-Border Insolvency and Bankruptcy.”
Trade unions must have the right to represent and protect workers’ interests in the bankruptcy of international companies, according to Viktor Pinsky, Member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and General Secretary of the GCTU.