Belgian Self-Employed Face Severe Mental Health Challenges

Research into the Belgian labor market indicates that self-employed workers face significant disparities in mental well-being, with those in precarious working conditions experiencing the most severe psychological distress.

A doctoral study by occupational sociologist Jessie Gevaert of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) concluded in 2022 that the mental health of self-employed individuals is heavily influenced by job quality and the stability of their working environment.

Vulnerability in Small-Scale Self-Employment

The research, conducted within the VUB’s Interface Demography research group under the supervision of Professor Christophe Vanroelen, utilized data from the 2015 European Survey of Working Conditions to compare self-employed workers in Belgium and other European nations against traditional employees.

Gevaert found that the group with the worst average mental well-being consists of those facing precarious conditions. Specifically, the study identified the following groups as being especially vulnerable:

• Small store owners and farmers.
• Individuals who are self-employed because they were unable to find other employment.
• Workers who depend on a single client for their income.

This finding contrasts with other segments of the self-employed population who report high levels of mental well-being, such as owners of medium- to large-scale enterprises and stable self-employed workers without staff, including freelancers possessing sought-after skill sets.

Evolution of the Self-Employed Workforce

The research highlights a significant shift in the composition of the self-employed labor force since the 1980s. Gevaert describes this as an enormous revolution regarding both the number of self-employed people and the internal makeup of the group.

The study distinguishes between two primary types of self-employment:

• Traditional self-employment: Primarily consisting of individuals in sectors such as industry, agriculture, and retail, who may manage a workforce ranging from limited to large.
• Contemporary self-employment: Primarily consisting of self-employed individuals without staff operating in sectors not historically associated with self-employment, such as the service sector.

The research suggests that the quality of the job is the primary explanatory factor for the wide differences in mental well-being across these diverse groups.

Policy and Regulatory Impacts

Further academic efforts are focusing on how regulatory frameworks affect the psychological health of independent workers. A project titled BE WISE (Belgium Wellbeing Indicators for Self-Employed), scheduled to run from December 15, 2025, to March 14, 2029, aims to develop evidence-based strategies to improve mental wellbeing.

The BE WISE project is structured into three complementary studies. The first focuses on international best practices and transnational differences in self-employed policies. The second involves a large-scale qualitative investigation of Belgian policies, using expert interviews and data from a representative sample of independent workers to document fiscal and administrative burdens.

This ongoing research seeks to identify which specific policies have the most adverse impacts on the mental health of independent workers and how to balance regulatory requirements with mental health considerations.

separate research published on March 26, 2024, in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, examined the relationship between precarious employment and mental health specifically within the Belgian service voucher system, analyzing the mediating roles of working conditions and perceived financial strain.

Broader OECD reporting has also noted that the Belgian labor market faces challenges regarding mental ill-health and employment, citing a lack of flexibility in the labor market as a factor contributing to severe mental health problems.