FREELANCER’s research, co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, reveals key trends shaping digital entrepreneurship and self-employability across Europe.

The foundation of the FREELANCER project lies in a deep understanding of the dynamics shaping self-employment and digital work across Europe. As the first step in the project’s implementation, Work Package 2 – Mapping and Stock Taking of Entrepreneurship Challenges for Freelancers set out to analyse the evolving freelance landscape, identify gaps in skills and support, and lay the groundwork for targeted training interventions.

Conducted across Italy, Estonia, Croatia, and Spain, alongside a comprehensive EU-level analysis, the study explored both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of freelancing. It examined how the digital transformation, socio-economic changes, and post-pandemic realities have reshaped opportunities and challenges for self-employed professionals.

The results confirm that freelancing has become a cornerstone of the modern European economy, engaging more than 25 million professionals. Freelancers are increasingly seen as drivers of innovation, flexibility, and competitiveness, providing specialized services to businesses across diverse sectors. However, the mapping highlights several recurring challenges: income instability, lack of social protection, gender disparities, skills mismatches, and limited access to training and support ecosystems

The EU overview found that while freelancing brings new opportunities for autonomy and creativity, it also exposes workers to volatility and regulatory uncertainty. National reports provide additional depth:

• Italy shows a rapidly growing freelance sector, particularly post-pandemic, yet affected by regional disparities and persistent gender gaps. The report calls for targeted training in business management, marketing, and entrepreneurial mindset development to strengthen self-employment capacity.
• Estonia presents a digital-forward but still uneven landscape, with freelancers facing income instability and social protection gaps. However, it stands out for its high adaptability and a culture open to innovation, offering a strong base for future digital entrepreneurship.
• Croatia has witnessed a 12.8% increase in self-employment since 2019, with the freelance sector expanding rapidly in creative and IT industries. Still, freelancers face significant income disparities and a lack of structured training and credit access.
• Spain, one of the most dynamic ecosystems, links the growth of freelancing to flexibility and autonomy, but highlights the need for financial literacy, project management, and digital marketing skills to ensure sustainability and competitiveness.

These findings underline a common message across all countries: freelancers are a growing and essential workforce, yet their potential is constrained by structural gaps in training, regulation, and support.

By consolidating these insights, the FREELANCER mapping provides strategic guidance for policymakers, VET providers, and training institutions to align their efforts with the real needs of the self-employed. The results directly inform the project’s training design, ensuring that all materials and resources on the FREELANCER Digital OER Platform respond to the realities of the European freelance economy.

The complete mapping reports, together with country snapshots and the EU summary, are freely available on the project’s platform:
🌐 www.freelancer-training.eu/mapping.php

By analysing where freelancers stand today, FREELANCER lays the foundation for a more skilled, resilient, and future-ready European freelance community.