Page 75 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Abderrahmane Benouaret: Towards Regulating Freelance Work and the Informal
Economy in Algeria: Will the Self-Employed Contractor Law Suffice?

By referring to this list provided by the National Agency for Self-employed
Contractors and researching its online platform, the scope and type of freelance
activities of Algerian workers studied in this research paper can be determined,
whether they are eligible or not, as shown in the following table:

Table (07): Field and type of freelance activities studied in this research paper
according to the list of activities eligible for the self-employed contractor law
Type of Activities
Studied Activities Group Field Ineligible
Activities Eligible Activities
Graphics and Design 2,6,7,5 ×
Writing and Translation - ×
Programming, IT and AI 2 ×
Business and Consulting 1 ,2,5 ×
Images, Videos, Music & Audio 7 ×
Marketing and Publicity 1,2 ×
Education and Training 1 ×
Source: By the author based on: (National Agency for Self-employed Contractors ,
2024).

Based on the table above, it is noticeable that most activities of the studied freelancer
sample fall within the list of activities eligible for the self-employed contractor law,
with the majority of activities classified under the second field, which relates to digital
services and related activities. Therefore, it can be said that the Algerian self-
employed contractor law is considered an appropriate framework for organizing
freelance work in Algeria and integrating it into the formal sector.

It is also observed that writing and translation activities are not included among the
activities eligible for the self-employed contractor law, despite the fact that these
activities rank first in terms of the number of offers from the sample of Algerian
freelancers on various freelance platforms, with a total of 5,080 offers (see table 02).
This is because writing and translation activities are classified as liberal professions
in Algeria, which the self-employed contractor law excludes, alongside artisans, from
acquiring the status of a self-employed contractor. This exclusion is justified by the
argument that both activities are already regulated by specific laws, and it is
impossible to subject them to two different systems at the same time.

The exclusion of previously regulated activities from benefiting from the advantages
of the self-employed contractor law is considered a non-stimulating measure
(according to the researcher) for freelancers, as the laws regulating liberal professions
and artisanal activities have not succeeded in attracting many workers in this field and
integrating them into the formal sector.

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