“The crisis has acted as a revelation of the limits of a social protection system built for the wage earner and which still largely ignores the self-employed”, notes Adie. “Compared to salaried workers, self-employed workers on a modest income pay more contributions for fewer rights, they struggle to access housing and training, they face the risk of uncompensated unemployment…”, she recalls.
Unemployment rights
According to a consultation carried out in the fall by OpinionWay with 1,149 independent entrepreneurs supported by Adie, 93% of them consider it “urgent” to converge their social rights with those of employees. 59% of the self-employed want unemployment rights as a priority and 49% want above all better coverage of professional risks.
Unlike employees, the self-employed cannot receive unemployment. Since 2019, they have benefited from an allowance for self-employed workers (ATI), the duration of which is limited, as well as the amount (around 800 euros per month). In the event of work stoppage, their daily allowances are also lower and take longer to be triggered.
With identical incomes, their basic pension is broadly similar to that of employees, but the supplementary pension of the self-employed, when they can afford it, is very often lower than that of employees.