Types of Employment and Social Security Systems in an overview in Turkey, Portugal, Slovakia and Germany
Technical Handbook EMIEW Partnership
2018-1-TR01-KA204-58546 Educational Modules for Insurance and Employability of Women
The EMIEW - Consortium Coordinator: Düzce University, Sociology, Düzce/Turkey Partners: SAMDER (Sociological Research Center), Bolu/Turkey Dost (Rehabilitation Centre), Ankara/Turkey Sakarya University SAU, Sarkaya/Turkey SPOP - Teamwork for a better future, Veľký Meder/Slovakia PREVIFORM, Ponte de Lima/Portugal Stiftung Bildung & Handwerk, Paderborn/Germany ©2019
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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Preface
In Europe there are living about 5% more women than men. But across Europe women are still less represented in the labor market than men. They earn on average less than men for the same job. They still work predominantly in typical women's jobs and are not well represented in the liberal professions, politics and leadership positions of the European economy. Women are more frequently stay at home. They take care of the education of the children and relatives in need of care. Women work part-time more often and are less well paid.
That way it´s more difficult for them to earn a living income or become economically independent.
Educational institutions from Turkey, Portugal, Slovakia and Germany have joined in the Strategic Partnership EMIEW to support the integration of women into employment. EMIEW compares the different lifestyles of women in the partner countries from the different regions of Europe and their access to work, existing models of employability and social security regulations. The partners develop learning modules and learning guidelines on this basis. They are aimed at women who previously had no opportunity to become active in the labor market and who had to overcome particular obstacles. EMIEW focuses on improving the social and economic well-being and increasing the life satisfaction of these women.
The handbook gives a first introduction to types of employment and social security issues in the different partner countries.
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I. Types of Employment and the Social Security System in Turkey
1. Introduction
Turkey is one of the countries that have made major changes in terms of women's rights and gender equality. In the historical process, the participation of women as a labor force has been ensured to a great extent. Much has been achieved in recent years and many steps have been taken to provide women more employment. Yet there is still much to be done for women. In this sense, the most eye-catching shortcomings regarding women in Turkey are;
imbalance in sectoral employment
intense female participation in agriculture and services
not having equal opportunities due to family responsibilities catching shortcomings shortcomings catching
- female-male inequality in wages (especially in private sector)
regarding women in Turkey in Turkey women regarding feeling that they have to work harder
the most eye most the more than men to prove themselves
occupational discrimination based on gender (the perception of male work- female work)
Here, in the context of Turkey, is shown that, legal arrangements guaranteeing the work life of women, the sectors in which women are generally involved, and in which sectors they have
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a lower population, current employment statistics, supportive means, plans, programs and actors that address these shortcomings and what they are implementing. In addition, it is given the detailed information about social security system and professional self-employment in Turkey.
2. Women on the labour market
a. General regulations and laws
The general laws regulating the legal rights of women in working life in our country are as follows;
• The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey with an emphasis on equality under 10th article, recognizes the equality of men and women in all spheres of social life. 10th article of The Constitution: “Everyone is equal before the law without discrimination because of language, race, color, gender, political thought, philosophical belief, religion, sect and similar reasons.” Also with additional paragraph (7/5/2004-5170/1) emphasised that “women and men have equal rights” and “the state is obliged to ensure the implementation of this equality.”
• The 48th article of The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, within the scope of “Labour and Freedom of Contract” give to women and man freedom of labour in every field that they want to work. 48th article of The Constitution: “Everyone has the freedom to work and contract in any field. It is free to establish private enterprises. …” In a similar context, in 49th article of The Constitution is stated that working is “everyone’s right and duty.”
• The 50th article of The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, brings regulation within the scope of “Working Conditions and Right to Rest”. Here, it is stated that “no one can be employed in jobs that do not suitable their age, sex and power” and in addition is emphasized that “women are specially protected in terms of working conditions”.
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• Also, 192th article of Turkish Civil Code, regulates the freedom of men and women in the choice of profession and the situation of independency to each other. Accordingly, “each spouse does not have to get permission from the other in choosing a profession or job”.
• Lastly, in the prime minister’s the circular letter no.2010/14 is maked decisions to;
strengthening the socio-economic status of women
equality between men and women in social life
enable equal pay for equal work
increasing women's employment to achieve sustainable economic growth and social development goals
• Also, The Department of Disadvantaged Groups was established in the General Directorate of Labor of the Ministry of Labor, which was assigned the coordination task in this circular letter.
b. Types of employment
According to the report that Turkey Statistics Institute’s (TÜİK/TurkStat) "Women in Statistics in 2018", the inequality between men and women, on sectoral basis and in the types of employment is still high. It is observed that women are mainly involved in agriculture and services sector. Women have not yet achieved the desired levels of employment in the industrial sectors. One of the sectors where women's employment rates are low is building rates. Besides, there has been significant progress in employment rates for women in the
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education sector. In brief, when analyzed in terms of economic activities, it is seen that women are mostly in agriculture and service sector. In proportional distribution,
EMPLOYMENT RATES FOR WOMEN
service sector agriculture 39% 39%
construction 1% industry 21%
Although female employment in some sectors is low, it can be said that there has been a gradual increase compared with previous years.
c. Actual Situation
According to TurkStat November 2017 Basic Labor Force Indicators database,
• the total population of the country aged 15 and over is 60 million 223 thousand,
• of this population, 30 million 399 thousand are women and 29 million 824 thousand are men,
• the population defined as labor force is 31 million 790 thousand,
• 10 million 287 thousand of them are women and 21 million 503 thousand are men,
• there are 8 million 904 thousand women and 19 million 612 thousand men in the employed population,
• so, in the total population over the age of 15, the employment rate is 65.8% for men and 29.3% for women.
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d. Perspectives: Support possibilities, programs and actors
For a country's economic prosperity and development, women's participation in the labor market is extremely important. Undoubtedly, the position of women in the labor market is another important aspect of the issue. In Turkey, under the leadership of various institutions and within certain programs there are various initiatives to increase women's employment. These initiatives aim to improve women's employment in general as well as sectoral distribution rates.
For example, the Tenth Development Plan covering the period of 2014-18 has set the target of reaching 34.9% of labor force participation among women by the end of 2018. In order to achieve this goal, the Plan, announced that policies will be implemented to “harmonize work and family life”, and “incentive policies for employment” will be activated in this direction.
On the other hand, the National Employment Strategy, which came into force in 2014, defined the labor force participation target for women in 2023 as 41%. For this purpose, the strategy points out that “encouraging arrangements to prevent women with children from breaking away from the labor market” will be implemented. As a result of these goals and policies, labor force participation among women has gained significant momentum in recent years. As a matter of fact, while the general labor force participation in our country increased by 6 points from 46% to 52% in 2007-2016 period, the main factor in this increase was women. Labor force participation rate among women increased by 9 points from 24% to 33% in the last 10 years.
To ensure sustainable development in Turkey, increasing women's labor force participation rate and the creation of employment opportunities for women is of great importance. In this context, it is necessary to mention the Operation on Supporting Women's Employment. This Operation consists of the Technical Assistance and Grant Program components. The operation is implemented within the scope of the Human Resources Development Operational Program, component 4 of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) of the European Union. The authority this program is the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and beneficiary institution is Turkish Employment Agency. The main purpose of the Operation; improving women's
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employability, facilitating their access to better jobs and reducing barriers to women's labor force participation.
In addition, within KOSGEP, practices supporting women entrepreneurs to establish business have been implemented and it has been decided to grant certain amounts of interest-free loans to women to establish business in this direction.
Also, the Social Security Institution has put into effect the Caregiver Support to the Working Mother.
3. The social security system of Turkey
a. The structure of the social security system
The social security system in Turkey went through a major transformation in 2007, resulting in a more efficient and fast functioning system, based on centralizing the control of different social security funds in a single institution. The three insurance funds, namely Sosyal Sigortalar Kurumu (Social Insurance Institution), Emekli Sandığı (Retirement Fund) and Bag-Kur (Insuranced Self-employed Institution), were merged under a sole body called the Social Security Institution (SSI). The system started to be fully operational at the beginning of 2008.
The Population of Insured People in Turkey
Uninsured 19%
Insured 81%
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All these insurance funds have provided approximately 81% of the population with service since 2008.
This system is predominantly similar to Bismarck model, one of four basic insurance systems (i.e. Continental Model (Bismarck), Liberalistic Model (Beveridge), Northern European Model and Mediterranean Model). Bismarck Model refers to a system where the premiums paid over the wages of employees according to their insurance status are collected in a joint pool and the benefits are provided based on the paid premiums only when old-age pension is entitled. The amount of the benefits to be granted to the insurance holders in cases of retirement, accident and sickness varies by the income they previously had.
Social Insurance Institution
Retirement
Social Security Retirement Accident Fund Institution
Sickness
Insuranced Self- employed Institution
Figure 1. The three insurance funds were merged under a sole body called the Social Security Institution (SSI) in 2007.
Turkish Social Security System has also some elements of the Mediterranean Model as well as Bismarck Model. The Mediterranean Model is derived from the Continental Model and bears a resemblance to this model in the sense that the paid social insurance premiums provide a basis for future social security benefits. Another aspect of the Mediterranean Model similar to Turkish Model is the wideness of informal economy. For this reason, the system does not
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cover many people; however social risks are attempted to be eliminated through family ties. This model has brought into prominence the concepts of traditional family and agricultural society; thus, people are supported by their families without considering whether the state provides benefits or not in case of revenue loss or social risks.
b. Conditions, when employment is subject to social insurance
Under the Labor Law, the maximum regular working hours are 45 hours per week. In principle, 45 hours should be split equally among the working days. However, in accordance with the
Labor Law, working hours may be arranged by the employer within the legal limits. As a rule, hours exceeding the limit of 45 hours per week are to be paid as “overtime hours”. The wage/salary for each hour of overtime work is paid by raising the hourly rate of the regular working salary by fifty percent. Instead of the overtime payment, employees may be granted 1.5 hours of free time for every overtime hour worked. Overtime hours worked during weekends and public holidays are to be paid as wage for one-day holiday and overtime wage. These rates may be increased based on a collective or personal employment contracts between employees and employers. The total number of overtime hours worked per year may not exceed 270 hours.
Working Hours •The maximum regular working hours are 45 hours per week. •Working hours may be arranged by the employer within the legal limits • The total number of overtime hours worked per year may not exceed 270 hours
Salary
•Hours exceeding the limit of 45 hours per week are to be paid as “overtime hours”. •Overtime work is paid by raising the hourly rate of the regular working salary by fifty percent. •Instead of the overtime payment, employees may be granted 1.5 hours of free time for every overtime hour worked.
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Any kind of discrimination among employees with respect to language, race, gender, political opinion, philosophical approach, religion or similar criteria is prohibited by law. Discrimination based on the gender of an employee is prohibited when determining the amount of remuneration for employees working in the same or equivalent jobs.
c. Benefits
• Employment who have insurance entries in 1999 and 2008, they can make pension plans between 7000 premium days and 58 to 60 years Retirement of age. Those who have insurance entry after 2008 can make retirement plans with 7000-7200 premium days with age conditions up to 61-62-63-64 and 65 gradually.
Widow’s and •In case of death, spouse and children of employees are put on their orphan’s monthly salary, which is not only about for retirees but also all pension employees those completing 900 premium days.
•In case of registered work, people can get 132 Turkish Liras breast Maternity grant milk allowance for 2017, providing that their last 120 days premium and breast milk has been paid. Socially insured women can also benefit from the allowance incapacity pay for eight weeks before the birth and eight weeks after the birth.
Free treatment •If employees experience any discomfort or need surgery, all and medication treatment costs are covered by the SSI in accordance with the health rights practice notification.
•The SSI provides funeral assistance for first-degree relatives. The institution will transfer funeral assistance to employee’s account Death grant except some extraordinary circumstances, even if he/she does not apply.
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4. Professional self-employment as a perspective
a. Legal framework for set up the own business
In Turkey, the word “set up the own business” is to establish a company, i.e. to become a taxpayer, to cut invoices, and to pay taxes. There are three types of business in our country. These are Private Company, Limited Liability Company and Joint-Stock Company. The legal framework for setting up the own business also differs according to these types of companies.
b. Personal requirements
Self-employment is a non-commercial work based on personal work, scientific or professional knowledge or expertise rather than capital under responsibility of employer on its own behalf. In Turkey, the term self-employed literature can be used to describe a person who can work according to different conditions, not more than a certain job.
According to Article 66 of the Income Tax Law no. 193, lawyers, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, architects, engineers, consultants, independent accountants, financial advisors, chartered accountants, consultants, painters, writers, composers , chemist, notary, teacher, artist, manager, screenwriter, director, midwife, circumciser, being a petition-writer, guide and health officer performing self-employment activities on their behalf are self-employed. Apart from this article, there has been no legally defined general personal requirement.
c. Benefits
In Turkey, there are entrepreneurial support provided by various governmental institutions such as KOSGEB (small and medium industry development organization), SME (small and medium sized enterprises) or TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). Those who want to build their own business can apply to such institutions and receive grants or low interest loans.
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In addition, KOSGEB applies positive discrimination to women entrepreneurs so that housewives, women entrepreneurs, and non-working women build their work they dream of and are given more opportunities than men. KOSGEB is the only institution that provides state support to women entrepreneurs who want to open a business and have their own business. Applied entrepreneurship courses are the first step in order to receive KOSGEB grant support. Subsequently, grants and interest-free support are provided to those who successfully pass the steps of establishment of the enterprise, registration of the established enterprise to the KOSGEB database, preparation of other transactions and preparation of the business plan and its submission to KOSGEB. KOSGEB provides women entrepreneurs with fifty thousand pounds grants and one hundred thousand pounds of interest-free credit support.
On the other hand, there are some advantages of self-employment in terms of taxes. Firstly, self-employment income such as being a petition-writer or midwifery are exempt from tax under some circumstances. Secondly, in other professions, a reduction can be made in the declaration of self-employment income based on some issues. Some of these issues are:
● Personal insurance premiums and contributions to the private pension system shares,
● Education and health expenditures,
● Disability discount,
● Donations and grants,
● Sponsorship expenses,
● R & D expenditures,
● Donations in-kind aid and cash related to natural disasters,
● Cash donations and grants made to the Turkish Red Crescent Society in return for a receipt.
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5. Useful Links
1. https://www.dogrulukpayi.com/bulten/2018-de-kadin-istatistikleri 2. https://media.iskur.gov.tr/23143/01-ocak-2019-aylik-istatistik-bulteni.pdf 3. http://www.tuik.gov.tr/PreHaberBultenleri.do?id=27699 4. http://ceidizleme.org/medya/dosya/76.pdf 5. http://www.sgk.gov.tr/wps/portal/sgk/en/home-page/mainpage 6. http://www.invest.gov.tr/enus/investmentguide/investorsguide/employeesandsocial security/pages/turkishsocialsecuritysystem.aspx 7. http://en.kosgeb.gov.tr/
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II. Types of Employment and the Social Security System in Slovakia
1. Introduction
Since the mid-1990s, the sensitivity of society to women's problems and their social disadvantage has increased significantly. According to public opinion, the most important problems of women in Slovakia are:
increasing addressing the women's women's solving gender problem of participation in empowerment problems of sensitization of violence political in the labour specific groups society against decision- market, of women. women, making
Various institutions have been involved in gender research since the second half of the 1990s (Institute for Public Affairs, International Centre for Family Studies, Gender Studies Centre and some institutes of Slovak Academy of Science). Currently, research activities have been intensified through European Social Fund programmes.
Women's NGOs are also dealing with women's problems. Their efforts are mainly focused on:
problems in the labour market
reconciliation of family and work responsibilities
low representation of women in public offices
and politics
increasing the retirement age of women.
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2. Women in the labour market
a. General regulations and laws
In most developed countries of the world, including Slovakia, equality between women and men is considered as one of the fundamental rights, attributes of democracy and expressions of social justice. Since 2004, Slovakia has been a part of the European Union, which explicitly defines equality between women and men in its primary law as one of the fundamental values and tasks of the Community. • Equality between women and men is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Slovak Republic. The Constitution of the Slovak Republic guarantees the same rights and freedoms to all citizens, regardless of gender, race, skin colour, language, faith and religion, political or other thinking, national or social origin, membership of nationality or ethnic group, property, gender or other status. (Art. 12). • In 2004 was adopted a separate Act on Equal Treatment in Some Areas and on Protection against Discrimination (the so-called Anti-Discrimination Act), which also defines the prohibition of discrimination for all the above-mentioned reasons, including gender. • Among the most important legislative measures to promote equal opportunities for men and women in employment and the labour market are involved: In the Labour Code (No. 433/2003 Coll.) they are reflected mainly in the Basic Principles, Art. 6., and in Part One: General Provisions in Section 13.
"Women and men have the right to equal treatment with regard to access to employment, remuneration and working progress, vocational training and working conditions. Women are provided with working conditions allowing them to participate in their work, taking into account their physiological assumptions and taking into account their social function in maternity and women and men with regard to their family responsibilities in the upbringing and care of children ”(Basic Principles, Art. 6).
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"Employees shall have the rights arising from employment relationships without any restriction and direct discrimination or indirect discrimination by sex, marital status and family status, race, skin colour, language, age, health status, belief and religion, political or other thinking, trade union activity, national or social origin, membership of a nationality or ethnic group, property, gender or other status, except the case where provided for by law or where there is a substantive reason for the performance of the work, based on the assumptions or requirements and nature of the work to be performed by the employee " Part One: General Provisions in Section 13).
The principle of equal remuneration for men and women is enshrined in the Labour Code, specifically in section 4. Wages and Average Earnings, which states: “Wage conditions must be equal for men and women without any gender discrimination. Women and men are entitled to equal wage for work of the same complexity, responsibility and work difficulty, carried out under the same working conditions and in achieving the same performance and work results. "
The Labour Code also allows some forms of employment for men-workers and women- workers with family responsibilities. Under Section 164 of the Code, at the request of a man- worker or woman-worker with a child under the age of 15, the employer must allow to woman-worker or man-worker a part-time employment.
However, the key problem of the protection of women's rights in Slovakia is not only the lack of legislative standards, but above all the insufficient application of existing ones. This is due to the low level of legal awareness of women, their weak civil self-esteem and the lack of will and readiness to defend and promote their rights.
b. Types of employment
On the basis of the Labour Code, there are various possibilities for the employment assertion of citizens, including women. Employers most often use a full-time employment contract.
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In practice, however, it appears that flexible forms of work are more suitable for a group of women after maternity leave, both for early return to the labour market and for maintaining contact with the workplace during maternity and / or parental leave:
Part-time employment contract Section 49 of the Labour Code)
A divided working position (Section 49a of the Labour Code)
Homeoffice and teleworking (Section 52 of the Labour Code).
Particularly part-time contract or home-office is a favourite among mothers, while there is still a lack of such job opportunities on the market. As a rule, these target groups have the most significant problems in reconciling family and working life due to the increased need for children care. It is precisely those groups which are wholly dependent on flexible forms of work and which enable them to reconcile their children care responsibilities while at the same time gaining or maintaining their employment and thus a degree of economic independence. c. Current Situation in Slovakia
The rate of registered unemployment (RRU) reached 5.04% at the end of 2018. The total number of jobseekers at the end of 2018 was 138,198 people. Of this number, unemployed women in register of jobseekers were 76,621 persons, accounting for 56.06% of the total number of jobseekers. The number of jobseekers with parental responsibilities carrying for the child / children under the age of 6 was 7,089 persons on 10 October 2018. The number of jobseekers living as single adults with one or more persons dependent on their care or taking care of at least one child before the end of compulsory education (Section 8 paragraph (1) character (g) of the Employment Services Act was 895 people to the end of 2018.
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The employment rate of women in Slovakia is growing but slower than in the EU-15. It was 70.4% in 2018, below the EU15 average. The average wage of women is only 87 percent of the average wage in the national economy; men earn an average of 22 percent more than women, so the gender salary difference in Slovakia is 22 percent. Although women are on average more educated than men, of the economically active women, 46 percent have full secondary education, 43 percent in men. 27 percent of women and only 19 percent of men have university degrees. If we compare women with complete second-level university degree and men with equal education, men earn on 30 percent more.
d. Perspectives: Support possibilities, programmes and actors
An active labour market policy is defined by the Employment Services Act (No. 5/2004 Coll.). Active labour market policy measures are formulated as gender-neutral in the law, but some definitions and measures are of great importance in addressing the specific situation in which are women more often exposed than men. The Labour Office provides information and advisory services free of charge to the citizens, job seekers, candidates as well as to employers. 1. The information and advisory services include services in the field of:
career choices
The adaptation of information finding or employees in and advisory changing a a new job services job position include services in the field of:
recruitment
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Under the Employment Services Act, Information and Advisory Services also include services aimed at providing information and professional advising in the field of:
professional skills and experience required for a specific job position in the job opportunities in the prerequisites for executing a labour market pursuant to Slovak Republic and abroad, specific profession, the National Qualifications System,
conditions for the terms and conditions for participation in the being included in the the conditions establishing partnerships established to programmes of the active the entitlement to facilitate the employment in labour market measures and unemployment benefit, and the district of the Labour activation measures, Office.
2. Professional Advisory Services are addressing the problems associated with the active involvement of job seekers, synchronisation of their personal capabilities to comply with the requirements for a specific job, facilitate the decision-making and adequate behaviour of job seekers, as well as their social and occupational adaptation.
Information and Consulting Centre (ICC) is a facility of the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family with computers, internet and a printer available to the clients. If needed, professional staff is available to help.
• The clients of ICC can search for information on the labour market, job opportunities, prepare and print their documents e.g. job applications, resumes, cover letters, etc. There are sample documents and instructions available for them (how to write a resume, job application forms, letter of motivation etc.) • The clients visiting ICC can find a broad range of information (in electronic form as well as hard copy documents) on the labour market and active labour market policies to help them reintegrate to the labour market, as well as professional papers, leaflets, promotional materials, register of secondary schools and universities, catalogue of
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employers and investors in the region including information on the working conditions and types of qualifications, social schemes and job possibilities.
3. Education and training for the labour market - jobseekers including underprivileged women to improve their labour market situation can participate in educational activities funded through the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family under the REPAS and KOMPAS programmes. Information on the possibilities for completing this training is provided by the Regional Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family and information is also available through the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family website.
4. Selected Active Labour Market Measures to promote the employment
Contribution for self-employment
Contribution to support the employment of disadvantaged jobseekers
Contribution to support the development of local and regional employment
Contribution to support job maintenance
Contribution to support job creation in the first regular paid employment
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3. The social security system of (country)
a. The structure of the social security system
In 1995 was established the General Health Insurance Agency (Health Insurance) and Social Insurance Agency (Sickness Insurance and Retirement Assurance). On January 1, 1997, the law of the National Council of the Slovak Republic No. 387/1996 Coll. on employment came into the force. With the accession of the Slovak Republic to the EU, the Slovak Republic has committed itself to respect the European Community legal standards. Each Member State has the right to determine who is covered by the country's social security system in the given country, who under what conditions and what types of benefits can receive, and how much social security is to be paid within social security. Significant milestone in the social security right development became through the law No. 461/2003 Coll. on social insurance. This law introduces a social insurance, which includes sickness insurance, retirement insurance (old-age insurance, disability insurance), accidental insurance, guarantee insurance and unemployment insurance.
Social security can be understood as a complex included the four basic systems: Systems of social security
sοcial insurance state sοcial support
Sοcial security
sοcial assistance health insurance
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System Social event Financing Institutional security
Social insurance Predictable, against Insurance Social Insurance which is citizen Agency insured State social support Social events State budget Offices of Labour, recognised by state Social Affairs and Family Social assistance Other sources are not State budget, cities Offices of Labour, available to overcome and municipalities Social Affairs and the unfavourable budget, EU sources, Family, MoLSAF SR, situation of the living, NGO sector sources ... municipalities, third and the citizen cannot sector subjects help himself Health Insurance Health damage Insurance Health Insurance Agencies
b. Conditions, when employment is subject to social insurance
The employer is obliged to pay for his employees to
Social Insurance Health Insurance Agency social Agencies health insurance. insurance.
The calculation of insurance is based on • "public health insurance advances", the assessed base, whose minimum which are monthly advance paid amount indirectly determines the financial sources. After the calendar minimum wage in a given year. In year they are counted in the annual 2019, the minimum assessed base is € accounting of insurance.
520, the maximum assessed base is € • Monthly health insurance are always 6,678. paid a month back. • If the employer registers into the Social Insurance Agency late, employer commits illegal employment.
Employers are obliged to pay their employees' social insurance and health insurance on the day of their income/payday, but no later than by the end of the following month.
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c. Benefits
Social insurance benefits
Kind of social insurance Social insurance benefits
Sickness insurance Sickness benefit, nursing benefit, maternal benefit, balancing benefit
Old-age insurance Old-age pension, premature old-age pension, widow´s pension, widower´s pension, orphan´s pension
Disability insurance Disability pension, widow´s and widower´s pension, orphan´s pension
Accident insurance Injury surcharge, accident rent, unrepeated recovery, inheritance injury rent, unrepeated compensation, work rehabilitation and rehabilitation contribution, retraining and retraining contribution, reimbursement for pain and reimbursement for complaints of social exercise, reimbursement of costs for treatment
Guarantee insurance Guarantee insurance benefit
Unemployment insurance Unemployment benefit
Source: Law No 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance
Pension insurance consists from three pillars.
Supplementary retirement savings is the third, often voluntary pillar of pension Capitalisation pillar (so assurance and its impact called II. pillar) is on the on public finance is other hand the form of indirect through tax Continuos pillar (so called retirement savings during allowances. From January I.pillar) of pension economy active life and 1, 2011 the state annulled assurance operates on the itself it has no impact on tax allowance of basis of transfer the costs of pension contribution for income part from assurance. suuplementary retirement economy active savings. population (social insurance) to old-pension beneficiaries.
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4. Professional self-employment as a perspective
a. Legal framework for set up the own business
Entrepreneurship is understood to be a continuous activity performed independently by an entrepreneur in his own name and on his own responsibility for reaching the profit. For a person planning to start a business, it is important to decide how to do business. It can do as • individual . natural person based on Act No. 455/1991 Coll. on Trade Licensing, as amended - Trade Licensing Act (is registered in the Trade Register) . self-employed farmer on the basis of Act No. 105/1990 Coll. on Private Entrepreneurship, as amended (is registered in the register of self- employed farmers at the municipal office)
• Legal entity - trading company (companies are public trading company, limited partnership, limited liability company, joint-stock company and simple company for shares) based on the Commercial Code, Act No. 513/1991 Coll. as amended (is registered in the Commercial Register).
• a person doing business under special regulations (e.g. in the profession of doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, lawyers, notaries, experts, interpreters, auditors and tax advisors, etc. (is registered in the register kept by the respective chamber, ministry or other authority)
b. Personal requirements General conditions for operating trade licencing on the basis of Trade Licencing Act:
competence on legal age 18 years, correctness acts
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In Slovakia is possible to operate some from three kind of trade licencing
free licencing
craft licencing
licencing requirin qualification
Trades licencing are distinguished based on the different conditions of professional competence to be fulfilled in order to obtain the authorisation for their operations:
In case of free licencing the businessman has to fulfil general conditions for operating the trade licencing , while the fulfilment of professional competence condition is not required.
Craft licencings are 34 traditional licencings, listed in annex No1 to Trade Licencing Act. For operating craft licencing is neccessary to fulfil professional competence obtained in vocational training.
Licencing required qualification are activities listed in annex No 2 to Trade Licencing Act. It is concerned on specific field of activities, where is required documentation of another competence as professional competence.
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c. Benefits Support for entrepreneurship in Slovakia is mainly through various grants. Especially interesting for start-up entrepreneurs are grants for business from the labour office. Support for entrepreneurship from the labour office is focused particularly on unemployed. In this way, the state is trying to encourage long-term unemployed people in starting their own living. The right for business support from the labour office have all people being registered as unemployed in the period more than 3 months. The European Union provides to Slovakia also financial sources of which a part is aimed for start-ups businessmen grants. Business grants from EU Funds can be in various forms:
women busines support in support of business for Slovakia people with disabilities
support of family business support of business in in Slovakia /in rural area/ tourism in agriculture
There is a wide offer´s pallet of free support for business development:
Short-term individual counselling for SMEs (more than 3 years of business)
Long-term individual counselling for complex solutions
E-learning platform for businessmen
Space for your future business in Coworking
Office facilities and counselling in incubator
Professional individual counselling
Participation at home or foreign events focused on innovation, technologies and start-ups.
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5. Useful links
1. Trade Code - http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/1991-513
2. Trade Licencing Act - http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/1991-455
3. Civil Code – http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/1964-40
4. Income Tax Law – http://www.szk.sk/legislativa/zakon-o-dani-z-prijmov/
5. Social Insurance Law - http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2003-461
6. Health Insurance Law – http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2004-580
7. Labour Code - http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2001-311
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III. Types of Employment and the Social Security System in Portugal
1. Women on the labour market
The employment contract is an agreement whereby the employee undertakes to provide his or her activity to the employer, under his or her authority and within the framework of his or her organization, in exchange for a fee (art. 11 of the Labor Code). Even in situations where a contract of employment has not been written and signed between the employee and the employer, it is considered that there is an employment contract when the relationship between the parties has some of these characteristics: • The activity is performed at the employer's premises or determined by the employer; • The equipment and work tools used belong to the employer; • The employee has to comply with a start and finish time determined by the employer; • A certain amount is paid to the worker at certain intervals, in return for his or her work; • The employee performs managerial or managerial roles in the company.
In these cases, the worker is entitled to the same protection as any other worker, even without having a written document proving that the employment relationship exists (Article 12 of the Labor Code). As a rule, the normal working hours can not exceed 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week (article 203 of the Labor Code). Persons who work at night, on a night shift basis, and on a rotating basis, on a shift work basis, are entitled to receive a subsidy.
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The worker is entitled to at least one day of rest per week (article 232 of the Labor Code). Although Sunday is the mandatory weekly rest day by law, in some jobs it is permissible to work on Sunday.
In certain circumstances, the work may be performed outside the working hours of a certain worker, by paying a salary increase (article 226 of the Labor Code). According to article 227 of the Labor Code, the employer can only require the worker to provide additional work in case of:
• Possible and temporary increase of work, which does not justify the admission of a worker;
• Force majeure reason;
• Where it is essential to prevent or remedy serious injury to the undertaking or its viability. Overtime is better paid than normal working hours (Article 268 of the Labor Code). Supplementary work is paid by the hourly fee with the following additions:
• Weekly rest day, mandatory or complementary - 50%
• Useful day: the 1st hour or its fraction - 25% the second hour and following - 37.5% As a general rule, workers are entitled to 22 working days of vacation (article 238 of the Labor Code). The end of employment contract can be by expiry, revocation, resolution and termination. The dismissal can be motivated by just cause, be collective, occur by extinction of the job or by maladaptation. There are several types of employment contracts, among which: 1) Term employment contract; 2) Uncertain term work contract; 3) Term contract; 4) Short-term employment contract; 5) Employment contract with a non-EU or stateless foreign worker; 6) Part-time employment contract;
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7) Employment contract with a plurality of employers; 8) Intermittent work contract; 9) Service contract work contract; 10) Contract promise of work; 11) Contract for subordinate teleworking service; 12) Preform contract; 13) Contract for the occasional transfer of workers.
Obeying Pordata definition, it is considered that unemployed are those you are looking for a job, either a new or first job. And are in the age of fifteen to seventy-four years old witch don’t have a paid job. In Portugal around of 339.0 people find their selves unemployed. However 198.3 are women and only 159.0 are Men. In search for the first job are 27,3 women, leaving 211,3 looking for a new job.
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As you can see, the numbers of unemployed women in Portugal are higher than men but they are falling down since 1983. Although the figure above shows that the rate of unemployed between men and women is decreasing, we still can find some oscillations in the labor market between this two genders. Reasons to this wages differences are complex and multiple. Therefore, they are structural, legal, social, cultural and economic factors. To these factors, we can add the school / professional choices / qualifications, professional occupation, activity sector, career breaks, the size of the company where you work, as well as the type of employment contract and the duration of the journey. Added to these conditions is the fact that the female sex is underrepresented in some sectors of activity, such as in decision and management positions. Is in these professional positions where the wage level is higher, and where women are predominantly characterized by being less valued and more poorly paid. However, the employment population in Portugal reach a number of 4.866.7 individuals, 2.485.8 are men and only 2.380.0 are women.
Furtherm ore, working in partial time are 292.9 woman. And 2.087.9 are working full-time.
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So, in resume, of the 100% of the workers, only 50.3% are women, and the majority is composed by men, reaching 60.1%.
We can also specify the female schooling, which we can included the unemployed and employed women, so there are 42.6 which don’t have any type of schooling, 10081 have completed basic education, 695.7 thousand have secondary and post secondary education and 806.5 thousand has higher education. There is programs to help the unemployed people. They will receive an unemployment benefit and that is a minimum per month to help cover the essential expenses. In order to combat low schooling there are various courses that are paid and just for the unemployed.
2. The social security system of Portugal The social system is divided into three subsystems: 1) Social protection of citizenship 2) Family protection 3) Welfare.
Family protection
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In Portugal, all workers are covered by Social Security, all workers deduct 11% of their salary and employers 23.75% for each worker, in order to financially support workers who have lost their labor income as a result of various contingencies or cover social risks such as invalidity and old age, maternity, paternity and adoption, family benefits, sickness, unemployment.
3. Professional self-employment as a perspective
Before starting the process of opening a company, it’s necessary to gather the following documents, because without them it is not possible to carry out the opening of the same: • Business Registration; • Enrollment in Social Security; • Declaration of Commencement of Activity; • Certificate of Admissibility; • Deposit of share capital; • Preparation of the pact or incorporation of a company.
The registration cost of a company is 360 € and you will need:
1) Signature: the legal name of the company, different from the commercial name; 2) Legal nature of the company: Only one-member companies may be made up of quotas, limited liability companies and limited liability companies excluding European limited liability companies; 3) Social contract: it is the company's contract, which includes the rules of operation of the company.
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About rates, we speak of:
We must emphasize that, after opening the company, you must count on other costs that will be associated monthly, of which we emphasize:
• Corporate Income Tax (IRC) - 17% up to € 15,000 on taxable income and 21% higher; • Municipal Spill - a rate that can reach 1.5% of taxable income; • Value Added Tax (VAT) - rate of 23%, 13% or 6% (depending on the type of goods or services); • Single Social Security Tax (TSU) - rate of 23.75% on the value of workers' wages.
In the first year of activity, the company is exempt from payments on account and special payments on account.
Talking about benefits: • In Portugal it takes fewer days and steps to create a business than the world average; • Doing the registration of property is an advantage compared to the average of the economies of the planet; • According to the Doing Business, the access to electricity places the country among the 35 best in the world; • A more competitive price than the Spanish neighbors when it comes to exporting; • To import, it takes an average of 15 days, less than the world average; • The resolution of commercial disputes is a strength of the Portuguese economy; • In place 22, Portugal is seen as having a good insolvency regime in Doing Business.
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4. Useful links
1. http://www.act.gov.pt/(pt-PT)/Paginas/default.aspx
2. The Authority for Working Conditions is a State service aimed at promoting the improvement of working conditions throughout the continental territory through the control of compliance with labor regulations in the context of private employment relations and the promotion of occupational safety and health in all sectors of public and private activity. In these web-site you can fin everything about the labor regulations.
3. https://www.pordata.pt/
4. PORDATA is a web-site with all Portuguese databases / statistics.
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Types of Employment and the Social Security System in GERMANY
1. Women at the labour market a. Laws and regulations
There are numerous laws, regulations and regulations governing dependent employment. They regulate the relationship between employer (company) and employee and, on the other hand, the relationship between the collective of employees (trade unions or works councils) and the employers. First and foremost, they protect the rights of the employee to the employer. In Germany, there is no summary of all laws and regulations in a Labour Code. Rather, labour law is based on laws and regulations from various areas. Essential determining come from the
Basic Law of the European Law Federal Republic of Civil Code Germany
Employment Collective Minimum Wage Act protection act Agreements Act
Books number IV Act on General Equal Working Hours Act and IX of Social Treatment Security Code
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In addition, collective agreements or company agreements provide the basis for employment agreements. The employment contract forms the basis for every employment relationship. Employment Contract
Rights and obligations of the parties
Number of working hours / Holidays
Place and Type of work
Salary ...
It can be completed verbally or in writing.
b. Types of Employment
There are different forms of employment. One Full-time-worker Part-time-worker of these is dependent employment as an employee. This form of employment is most dependent common in Germany. Employment as
Mini-Jobber in an Mini-Jobber As a dependent employee, employees provide additional job an employer with their work on the basis of a contract of employment and receive a wage or salary for it. The "classic form" of dependent employment is the …
FULL-TIME-WORK Here, the employee works the full working hours that are usually in the respective company. A 36- up to 40-hour week is widespread.
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Under certain conditions, upon application and with the consent of the company, a change from full-time to part-time employment is possible. The return to full time, however, may cause a lot of difficulties, because there is no legal claim to it. The full-time employment relationship may be fixed-term or permanent.
PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT As soon as an employee falls short of the number of standard working hours, he works part- time. The spectrum of part-time ranges from very low volumen to nearly full-time employment. In order to better reconcile work and private life or to further education, to take up voluntary work, to reduce burdens and stress, or to make a gradual transition to retirement, motives for deciding on a part-time employment can be found. Part-time exists in different models: from reducing hours to sharing a job or to longer-term breaks. With the Part-Time and Time-Limitation Law, which applies to all employees (hence also to mini-jobbers), the legislation has set the framework conditions for part-time work.
MARGINAL EMPLOYMENT - MINIJOB
Even those who have a Mini-job are classified as part-time employees according to the Part- Time and Fixed-Term Act and have the same rights as full-time employees in employment law. Women, retirees, pupils and students are particularly often mini-jobbers. Mostly they improve their financial situation, but without achieving financial independence.
no earn no more than 450,00 € a month
be contracted for only a short time (up to 3 months)
get payment per year: no
employed may employed more than 5400,00 € a Who is marginal year
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It can also be added together several mini jobs, but they must not exceed the earnings limit. Mini jobs from remuneration and those from time limitation are not added together. Also in the mini-job apply the labor law principles for equal treatment, written record of the agreed essential working conditions, the minimum wage, for recreational leave, continued pay in case of illness, pregnancy and motherhood, in case of illness of the child and lost work on public holidays, for special payments / bonuses and dismissal protection. Mini jobs are only partly social insurance employment. There is a pension insurance obligation. Those who make the additional payment of 3.7% to the pension insurance, acquire the same benefit entitlements as a full-time contributor. However, since wages are very low, one acquires only small pension entitlements. But there is the possibility to get rid of the additional payment. The employer makes lump-sum contributions to the health and pension insurance.
MINIJOB AS PART-TIME-JOB A 450-euro Mini-job may be exercised alongside a main occupation subject to social insurance or the receipt of a retirement pension.
Extensive information on the topic of "Mini Job" offers the Minijob Central. https://www.minijob-zentrale.de/DE/00_home/node.html
PROFESSIONAL SELF-EMPLOYMENT In contrast to dependent employment works independently, who determines freely about his work assignment and thus about his working time. The self-employed person is not instruction-dependent. Entrepreneurially, he / she makes all decisions on his own responsibility - but he / she also bears the risk alone. As a rule, the self-employed person works for several clients. From § 84 paragraph 1, sentence 2 in the Commercial Code, the evidence for independence are derived. Self- employment must be strictly separated from pseudo self-employment or dependent employment.
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c. The current situation of women on the labour market in Germany
83 million inhabitants • 42 million = women
45.1 million people are employed • 33.4 million of them are subject to social insurance
75,2 % = Employment Rate • 71,5 % of woman ... • 78,9 % of men ... • ...in 2017 (between 15 and 65 years of age)
(Federal Statistical Office DESTATIS, May 2019) The increase in female employment over the last decade is almost entirely due to more part- time work, which has increased by 2.8 million. The number of full-time- working women has almost not changed.* * https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Statischer- Content/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Personengruppen/generische-Publikationen/Frauen-Maenner- Arbeitsmarkt.pdf, S.10
48% of all women working under social insurance work part-time (June 2018 / Statistics
Employment Agency: https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Statischer- Content/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Personengruppen/generische-Publikationen/Frauen-Maenner- Arbeitsmarkt.pdf) - more than four times as many women as men work part-time; - two-thirds of all workers who are only marginally remunerated, between the ages of 15 and 65, are women.
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The much greater use of these two forms of employment by women represents two of the most important differences between women and men in the labor market. In addition, more women than men work in addition to their main occupation subject to social insurance in a part-time job. In particular, many women work in education, hospitality, health and social care, as well as other services and private households, mostly in part-time occupations.
Perspectives: Support programs, actors and support options
Employment promotion is an essential task of the unemployment insurance. Its main objective is the prevention and termination of unemployment.
The employment agencies and job centers promote
Measures for activation and occupational integration Further Professional Education Measures for the participation of disabled people Inclusion by appropriate subsidies employment the start of self-employment with the start-up grant
Especially for women, there are ... nationwide initiatives to promote equality and equal opportunities
The Law on Promoting Transparency of Payment Structures to help (especially) women better assert their entitlement to equal pay for equal work
the law on the equal participation of women and men in management positions in business and administration ("women's quota")
a gender-sensitive career orientation and career counseling with the "cliché-free" initiative („Klischee-frei“.de)
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Federal programs, such as
„Stark im Beruf“ - "Strong in the job"
- of the Federal Ministry for Family, seniors, women and youth (BMFSFJ), - offers women with migration history support with
o the employment orientation o the reconciliation of family and occupation o the placement in traineeships, training and employment subject to social insurance
"Perspektive Wiedereinstieg - Potenziale erschließen"- "Perspective re-entry - tap potentials" - supports organizations and associations all over Germany by 2021 to help women and men to return to working life after a family-related career break with
o activation, counseling and qualification measures
"Zielsicher" - "Targeted" - to help companies implement the Law for More Women in Leadership
In order to promote the self-employment of women and to support them in founding a business, the Federal Ministry of Women's Affairs, together with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, has set up the nationwide start-up agency for women-founders.
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The German System of Social Insurance
Components of the Social Insurance System
German Social Security is a statutory social security system. It was introduced in 1883 to protect workers against accident, illness and other risks. Today, Social Security covers the five areas
statutory health insurance They offer effective financial protection against life risks and statutory pension insurance their consequences such as unemployment insurance illness, unemployment, accident at work, age and long-term social care insurance care. They accompany the
statutory accident insurance insured for a lifetime and take effect in different life situations.
The insurances are managed by different institutions.
Social security is based on the principles of compulsory insurance and solidarity. Persons covered by social insurance can not opt out of the insurance mentioned. Exceptions are possible e.g. for the self-employed, freelancers, marginally employed, civil servants and soldiers. As a rule, no agreement is required for social insurance to be paid. Employers and employees pay their shares of the gross wage, regardless of the use of benefits. Those who need assistance in the event of an insurance case receive it. The contributions are based on the insured person's income and the benefits are distributed in solidarity.
The legal foundations of the individual insurance areas are summarized in the corresponding books of the Social Security Code.
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What it means to be employed by social security Who works for the first time under social insurance, gets from the German pension insurance (DRV) a pension insurance number, which is valid for life. The employer automatically deducts social insurance contributions from the gross salary. For this, the employee receives the right to claim insurance benefits from the various insurance areas:
benefits for benefits for •Old-age •unemploy assistance in prevention preventio pension ment case of early n •vocational benefits long-term detection rehabilitati rehabilitat •employme care treatment on ion nt services rehabilitatio injury •reduced • n pension earning vocational death Health insurance sickness capacity training benefit in Pension insurance benefits Accident insurance •survivor's term care insurance term care case of pension - maternity death due benefits to Long accident Unemployment insurance at work or occupatio nal disease
Benefits of employment subject to social insurance
For the individual, employment covered by social security means regular income. And thus a relatively secure existence. The social insurance allows the coverage of life risks and pension plans, which are in a private insurance only at high rates or not to get. Social security helps to prevent extreme hardship and, to a certain extent, offsets social differences. It contributes to social peace in society.
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Self-employment as a career perspective
The legal framework for self-employment
Self-employment represents a significant alternative to dependent employment, personally and social. The foundation and practice of a trade are subject in Germany to the Code of Trade and Commerce (Gewerbeordnung: GewO). In § 1 GewO is regulated that basically anyone can found his own business and work independent. Many different paths lead to self-employment: start-up, company succession, participation in a company, small start-up, franchising, alone or with a partner.
However, before actually founding, many considerations must be made Every founder has to ask the questions
- Can my plans be implemented? - Are my market assessments right? - Are my personal - Is my business idea and professional promising? skills sufficient? -Is it worthwhile for me to take the risk of self- employment? - Are my finances feasible?
Am I the right person to found an own business?
Then the appropriate legal form must be selected and the trade must be registered with the trade office of the responsible administration of the municipality or city. With the issue of the trade license all relevant authorities are informed about the new trade. These include the tax office and trade-specific institutions such as the Chamber of Crafts / Chamber of
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Commerce and Industry. Under certain circumstances, however, also the employment agency, the district court, the professional association, insurance companies must be informed.
For the tax office, each founder must complete the "questionnaire for tax collection" and then receives his tax number. Only after this registration-process the business activity can start.
Some start-ups require certain formal conditions or permits. For example, it may be necessary for some craftsmen or freelancers to have some specific training or knowledge.
Every start-up founder is strongly recommended to seek detailed advice and, if possible, to draw up a professional business plan in cooperation with experts. Those who want to start their own business have to take care of their own health care, social protection and retirement provision. Business founders are obliged by law to health insurance. Extensive information for founders is available on the Internet and at all craft and industry and commerce chambers.
The personal requirements for a self-employment
Not for everyone is self-employment the right thing. Founders need a good idea. You need courage, ambition and creativity. They also need financial support, expert advice, inspirational role models, good networks and appreciation.
Founders must be able to work independently, take over responsibility, make decisions and lead employees. They have to be physically fit and resilient. And they need the support of their environment!
There are numerous tests to determine if someone is personally, professionally and entrepreneurially suitable for a self-employment. In addition, interested parties should take advantage of the varied counseling services.
Important features of a founding person are, for example:
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Ambition and motivation Content pleasure and appearance
A certain degree of risk-taking
Pysical and mental resilience
Durability and flexibility
Creativity
Responsibility
Suitable professional qualifications and motivation to learn Professional experience Experiences to lead Foundation knowledge
The success of self-employment depends largely on the extent to which the founding person has familiarized herself in advance with the requirements and challenges. and the right knowledge and suitable experience.
Advantages of self-employment
For many it is attractive to be the own boss and not account to anyone. If you want, you can turn your hobby into a profession and implement and design your own ideas. The work is spatially and temporally flexible and the self-employed decides how time and money are used.
There are always new challenges and a variety of tasks to be resolved, but the return from work benefits one's self. Once the business is established and the processes are done with a certain routine, the time load can be reduced and the income increased.
Pro: Independence and self-realization, self-responsible action, flexible working, variety of tasks, opportunity for higher income
On the other hand, there are adverse moments.
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The working days are often longer than 12 hours, just in the initial phase. Family life and health are heavily stressed. The self-employed person has a high responsibility, possibly also for employees. She has to endure uncertainties, because success seldom occurs immediately. A company is dependent on the market and its customers, but possibly also on financiers. So it may be that financial bottlenecks have to be endured, because a regular salary falls away. For some, dealing with authorities and institutions can be annoying.
Contra: time, stress, risks, dependencies on financiers and authorities, etc. Nevertheless, with the right advice, family support, a good idea and enthusiasm for the cause, knowledge and experience, self-employment can be a good life perspective for women.
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Further Links
1. Statistics: • https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Statischer- Content/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Personengruppen/generische-Publikationen/Frauen- Maenner-Arbeitsmarkt.pdf • https://www.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/themen/gleichstellung/frauen-und-arbeitswelt
2. Forms of employment: • https://www.minijobzentrale.de/DE/01_minijobs/02_gewerblich/01_grundlagen/04 _arbeitsrecht/node.html • https://www.bmas.de/DE/Themen/Arbeitsrecht/Teilzeit/Teilzeitmodelle/teilzeitmod elle.html • http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tzbfg/index.html • http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/arbschg/index.html • http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/agg/
3. System of Social Insurance: • https://www.bmas.de/EN/Services/Publications/a998-social-security-at-a- glance.html • https://www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/PDF-Publikationen-DinA4/a721- soziale-sicherung-gesamt.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=11
4. Self-employment: • https://www.existenzgruender.de/DE/Gruendung-vorbereiten/Gruendung-im- Ueberblick/inhalt.html • https://www.existenzgruender.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Broschueren- Flyer/Starthilfe-erfolgreiche-Weg-Selbststaendigkeit.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
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The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.