Solo Self-Employment, Human Capital and Hybrid Labour in the Gig Economy

Abstract

In a framework of changing contextual factors, this paper deals with one-person enterprises as the smallest units of entrepreneurial companies, which already represent more than 50% of Austrian companies. Within these micro-enterprises, a special group of self-employed can be identified at the blurred boundaries between dependent work and self-employment: the hybrid solo self-employed, which are primarily operating as a sideline business. These hybrid forms enormously differ from regular entrepreneurs that perform their self-employment as their main business. Based on our own empirical survey, the paper aims to examine whether hybrid entrepreneurs are a homogeneous group or if differences exist with respect to their human capital. Our findings reveal several differences concerning for example, (dependent and self-employment) income, working hours, or one’s main workplace. it can be summarized that education matters when looking at the different aspects of hybrid self-employment activity.