The seventh annual European Freelancers Week (#EFWeek) is fast approaching. This year we celebrate with the theme: Freelancers, the drivers of the economy.
The theme was chosen to highlight the fact that freelancers contribute to the European economy in many ways through their work, and not all the ways are acknowledged.
In fact, during 2020 alone, more than 190 000 Europeans considered themselves to be freelancers.
Since the start of the 2000s freelancing has been an attractive way of work for many. The number and influence of freelancers and independent workers grew immensely during the pandemic. Many Europeans left their jobs to become independent.
We are focusing on bringing the role of freelancers to the attention of all policy makers in 2022. Since the start of #EFWeek we have been dedicated to shining a light on the freelance economy and showing the world how freelancers connect, collaborate and share ideas with like-minded people.
#EFWeek is a week-long celebration of the freelance ecosystem which takes place from 14 to 21 October 2022. The essential and necessary goal of this week, is for freelancers and friends of the freelancing industry, to host events where they can share valuable resources and ideas with others.
It is a time to come together to celebrate being a freelancer and to make new connections with similar persons in the field and to collaborate with and share a voice.
The beginning of #EFWeek
The #EFWeek movement was established by three founders: Matija Raos, Francesca Pesce, and Joel Dullroy. Marco Torregrossa picked up the EFWeek and grew it further, imagining it as a true pan-European event with potential global growth.
The European Coworking Assembly, who had been a partner of the EFWeek, took responsibility to maintain the event until a pan European Freelancers organisation could be found to set the #EFWeek movement forward. They saw the value of what the founders were creating.
One thing that was clear to the founders of the #EFWeek is that employees have unions, especially in Europe. When there is a need for collective action, freelancers in Europe largely do not have any such support structures.
In many ways, freelancers have no civil rights, and they can be freely discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, race, national origin, or religion. This is of course because of the way that civil rights and labour rights developed during the labour movement; but as freelance numbers grow this problem becomes more pressing.
The European Freelancers Week aims to call attention to these issues.
Our partners
Freelance Business Community
This year we teamed up once again with the Freelance Business Community as a major partner for #EFWeek2022.
They run Freelance Business Month and the goal is to unite the European freelance ecosystem. They are focused on showing the power that growing independent businesses have in industry. Their key focus is on independent professionals within Europe.
This event takes place for the entirety of October and will be the epicentre of cultivating ideas, knowledge, skills, sharing and learning new tools that enhance freelance productivity and efficiency.
Freelancing.eu
We are also excited to be partnered with Freelancing.eu for this year’s event.
Freelancing.eu is the first open directory of European freelancers and each and everyone may join them. They also offer direct contact with the client and the freelancer.
Freelancers are treated as independent professionals, meaning that they don’t pay any commissions. There are no intermediaries. Hence, no bidding wars and no oversight. Freelancing.eu members are free to negotiate on their own terms and set prices any way they like.
How to register an event
Interested in submitting your own event? Register your event with #EFWeek before 1 October 2022, you can submit your event by filling out this form.
We encourage freelancers and anyone in the freelance ecosystem to host their pre-planned events that may take place during 14 to 21 October, to register it with #EFWeek. It allows your event to get greater exposure within a large ecosystem.
Have a look at the feedback we received on #EFWeek2021. And use the hashtags #ICantWaitForEFW22 and #EFWeek2022 to keep track of the events.
