Article published in the Journal Economic and Industrial Democracy

Maximiliane Wilkesmann and Mona Bassyiouny, together with colleagues from the University of Hohenheim and the Sociological Research Institute Götingen, have published an article entitled "Labor market collectivism: New solidarities of highly skilled freelance workers in medicine, IT and the film industry" in the journal Economic and Industrial Democracy. The article presents the empirical results of the DFG project. Highly skilled freelancers are presented as a challenge for trade union work mainly because of their mobility, their market power and their specific interests in organizational support. The article examines the manifestations of collectivism of highly skilled freelancers based on semi-structured interviews with 14 highly skilled freelancers and 35 representatives of intermediaries such as trade unions, professional associations, staffing agencies, and cooperatives in the medical, IT, and film sectors in Germany. The results reveal new forms and dynamics of labor market collectivism resulting from simultaneous conflicts and negotiations over labor market access and working conditions. The paper can be accessed here for free as it is open access.

Apitzsch, B., Wilkesmann, M., Ruiner, C., Bassyiouny, M., Ehlen, R., & Schulz, L. (2022). Labor market collectivism: New solidarities of highly skilled freelance workers in medicine, IT and the film industry. Economic and Industrial Democracy, online first, 0143831X221120534. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X221120534