Self-Employed in Andorra Face Income Instability and Inadequate Protections
A new report exposes the harsh realities of freelancers and small businesses in Andorra, battling irregular earnings, high costs, and a rigid social.
Key Points
- Freelancers endure irregular income, high fixed costs, and limited social protections.
- Personal stories from hairdressers, tattoo artists, and musicians reveal operational burdens during slow periods.
- Accountant notes elevated expenses strain businesses with fluctuating activity.
- CASS reps acknowledge contribution model flaws, sparking reform debates.
Working as a self-employed professional in Andorra is often portrayed as a path to freedom and opportunity, but many face a starkly different reality marked by irregular income, high fixed costs, and limited social protections.
A new audiovisual report highlights the daily struggles of small businesses and independent workers across diverse sectors, including hairdressers, tattoo artists, musicians, and others essential to the economy. These professionals frequently operate on the edge, contending with fluctuating earnings that make it hard to cover ongoing expenses.
The piece features personal accounts from freelancers in varied fields, revealing shared challenges such as burdensome obligations during slow periods. A specialized accountant details how elevated costs weigh heavily on operations, particularly when activity dips.
Representatives from the CASS, Andorra's social security system, outline current options available to self-employed individuals while acknowledging their limitations. The report questions the fairness of a one-size-fits-all contribution model, given the wide range of professions and income patterns it covers.
"Is it equitable to demand the same effort from such different realities?" it asks, spotlighting ongoing debates about reforming the system to better suit these workers.
Discussions on adapting contributions and protections remain open, with implications for the future of Andorra's self-employed community. The report, aired on 26 January 2026, underscores the need for change amid these persistent pressures.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: