The indicator shows the proportion of 'solo self-employed' in all persons in employment aged 15 to 64 years. Solo self-employed are self-employed persons without staff, also referred to as own-account employed.
Solo self-employed must not only pay themselves the contributions to health and pension insurance but also take a usually higher business risk than self-employed with employees.
Self-employed who are on their own are often in the start-up phase. That kind of self-employment is frequently characterised by instability and insecurity as time not worked cannot be compensated for.
3.8% of persons in employment are self-employed and have no staff
In 2023, 3.8% of all persons in employment aged between 15 and 64 years were self-employed without any staff. Among women the share was smaller (3.4%), while it was 4.1% for men.
| Age from … to … years | Proportion in all persons in employment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Female | Male | |
| ( ) = low reliability. Source: Labour Force Survey. | |||
| 15 to 24 | 1.1 | (0,8) | 1.3 |
| 25 to 34 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| 35 to 44 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| 45 to 54 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 5.3 |
| 55 to 64 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 6.4 |
| Total | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
Government subsidies affect development
Compared with 1991, the share of self-employed without staff rose. At the time it had been 3.6%.
The share of solo self-employed rose rather continuously between 1991 and 2005. The growth period from 2003 onwards was probably closely related to the business start-up grants – also referred to as 'Me PLC' ("Ich-AG") – that had been introduced by the Hartz laws.
In mid-2006, the business start-up grant was modified and restricted to a smaller number of eligible people. Consequently, the proportion of solo self-employed slightly decreased in the subsequent period. After a period of stagnation from 2009 to 2012 the share of self-employed without any staff decreases. During the corona pandemic, the share of self-employed persons without employees declined more sharply. The extent to which the decline is attributed to the effects of the pandemic cannot be determined in more detail due to the limited comparability of the results with previous years.
In 2023, the largest share of solo self-employed was to be found in agriculture and forestry (14.6%). There were many self-employed without any staff also in the real estate sector (9.1%) as well as in business services (8.0%) and in communication and information industries (5.9%).
Information on the Indicator
Description or definition
Percentage of solo self-employed (15-64 years) in all persons in employment (15-64 years).
Solo self-employed are self-employed without staff.
Source
Labour Force Survey
Information for interpretation
Changes in labour market policy supporting the establishment of self-employment should be taken into account for comparisons over time.
The microcensus with the integrated European labour force survey has been redesigned in 2020. The list of questions and the concept of the sample survey were modified, and with the introduction of an online questionnaire, the form of data collection were also changed. The results from survey year 2020 onward are therefore comparable with those of previous years only to a limited extent.
Further methodological changes affecting the results were performed in 2005, 2011 and 2021. Consequently, the results for those years can be compared with the results for previous years to a limited extent only.
The extrapolation of microcensus data uses the population figures from the 2011 Census, which was conducted as at 9 May 2011. The results have been revised from 2010 onwards. With effect from the year 2016, the sample is based on the 2011 census data. This transition affects the comparability of the results with previous years.
For more information please refer to Methods: Quality Reports and Explanations (only in German).
Further information
Redesigned microcensus as of 2020