Tackling fraudulent practices in employment

Bogus self-employment, abuse of the posting of workers and sham subcontracting arrangements are all examples of fraudulent employment practices that infringe the basic protection provided by employment law and collective bargaining.

Eurofound’s latest report, Exploring the fraudulent contracting of work in the European Union, explores the extent and impact of such contracting of work in Europe. Based on 29 national reports covering the EU28 and Norway, the study examines measures initiated by national authorities to identify, prevent and combat such duplicitous practices. While governments and public bodies focus on improving regulation – reducing loopholes in legislation and strengthening detection and inspection – the social partners largely tackle the issue through organising information and awareness-raising initiatives. The research points to the contribution that EU actors could make, given the crucial role of cross-border cooperation in detecting and sanctioning fraudulent practices with a transnational dimension.