Olaf van Vliet discusses rise in self-employment on NU.nl
The number of self-employed people has risen over the past few years. Professor of Economics Olaf van Vliet explains this development in Dutch online newspaper NU.nl.
One of the reasons why people choose to become self-employed is that they want greater flexibility. Freelancers have more control over where, when and how much they work than employees. When the labour market is as overstretched as it is now, workers are in a relatively strong position compared to employers and clients, and becoming self-employed gives people more autonomy.
Another factor that makes self-employment an attractive option is the tax treatment that self-employed workers enjoy. Due to the self-employed tax deduction, self-employed people pay relatively little tax compared to employees. This tax benefit is being phased out but is still in place for the time being.
Read the full article (in Dutch) on NU.nl.