The more than three million active self-employed workers in the Spanish economy start 2021 with the demand that the direct and financial aid that has been provided to them in recent months be immediately extended to prevent their businesses and activities from collapsing.
The group estimates that over the past year the consequences of the pandemic have made them lose more than 65,000 million euros.
One in three would accumulate losses of 30,000 euros
, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Self-Employed Workers (ATA) and for two out of three the bill is higher than 15,000 euros.
The events sector and small businesses have been the most affected by the economic hibernation decreed to stop the pandemic and the subsequent contraction of consumption.
At its most critical moment, practically
half of the Spanish self-employed workers were forced to take advantage of the benefits for cessation of activity
that the Government agreed with the social agents and that have also included exonerations of Social Security contributions for employees.
In total, these grants exceeded
9,000 million euros
last year, which yields an average of 3,000 euros for each registered self-employed worker.
"A disaster is looming for freelancers, companies and workers if it is not accompanied by an urgent plan of economic measures, 2020 has been a horrible year for thousands of freelancers who have had to reduce their workforce, have losses of which they do not know if it is going to recover and sometimes have to close in on the most absolute ruin ", said
Lorenzo Amor
, president of ATA.
The assessment of how the 2021 group is facing comes in the midst of negotiations to extend the income protection schemes for companies and workers that expire on January 31.
From the responses of the self-employed surveyed, it appears that 12% have some kind of restrictions in their business.
That is, some
400,000 freelancers
have their businesses or activities closed at the moment, of which 5.5% say they have had their business closed since March.
In addition, a number slightly higher than half, 56.6%, say that, although it has opened, it is working at 50%, while 23.6% of those surveyed point out that they are open and functioning normally, and
only 1% admit that they are doing better than before the pandemic.
Asked about the turnover, 83.6% say that the turnover of their business has been reduced compared to the previous year and, for half of them, the fall has been greater than 60%.
10.5% say that they have maintained their income and 3.6% that they have increased.
One in five of those who have employees admit that they will not be able to maintain their workforce in the coming months, although they do not have the liquidity to face severance pay.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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