‘German Angst’ vs ‘Danish Easy-going’? On the Role and Relevance of Insecurity and Uncertainty in the Lives of Freelancers in Denmark and Germany

Abstract

Highly flexible workers such as freelancers are particularly exposed to insecurity. In this article I explore the role and relevance of insecurity and uncertainty in the lives of freelancers in Denmark and Germany and especially the marked difference I have found in freelancers’ narratives along national lines. Whereas insecurity and its related fear and anxiety played a huge role in the German interviews (‘German Angst’), the Danish freelancers attached less importance to the topic of insecurity and showed almost no sign of related anxiety (‘Danish Easy-going’). Some reasons for this can be found in the different social security backgrounds and welfare state programmes of the two countries, but these differences cannot explain the very different ways of talking about and dealing with the topic. Therefore, I suggest that the differences can be understood in the context of trust as a multi-dimensional concept.