Redesigning Labour Market Policies for the Future of Work: Lessons from the ‘Intermittents du Spectacle’ scheme in France

Existing labour market policies were designed when permanent full-time  jobs and one-occupation careers were commonplace. However, these fail to  address new forms of work arrangements: task-based contracts, on-call  work, zero-hours contracts, dependent self-employed, or the gig economy.  The uncertain nature of these forms of employment means that workers  bear greater risk and are increasingly vulnerable to unexpected life  events. The increase in active gig-workers from 2.3 million in 2016 to  4.7 million in 2019 suggests a growing need for reform. The research  team aims to inform an optimal policy response by investigating and  learning from a unique safety net developed for art workers in France,  the ‘intermittent du spectacle’ (IDS).