A Social Security Perspective on Traineeships: Introduction to the Special Issue

This editorial introduces the Special Issue of the European Journal of Social Security, A Social Security Perspective on Traineeships. As traineeships have become a structural feature of the transition between education and the labour market, the working conditions and social protection of trainees have been given regulatory attention. A good example are the proposals at the level of the EU to reinforce the existing Quality Framework for Traineeships with a new Recommendation and a Directive. Access of trainees to social protection, however, has not be given the same attention in the legal literature as their legal status, their working conditions and the quality of traineeships. The editorial presents the main objectives of the Special Issue and the different contributions it contains. Drawing on the latter, it also maps the social security coverage of trainees across seven jurisdictions (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom). The mapping serves as a basis for discussing the access of trainees without employee status to formal, effective and adequate coverage, considering principally the Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed. Findings reveal a highly segmented regulatory model where inclusion is primarily determined by the category of the traineeship rather than the existence of remuneration. While formal coverage for healthcare and occupational risks is common, and a hesitant movement towards the extension of social security can be observed, significant gaps persist. The regulation of social protection of trainees reflects a model of transition from education to work based on exclusion and individuation, and contributes to a panorama of systemic discrimination against young workers. Insufficient justification of the model reinforces the need for binding instruments that guarantee equal treatment in social protection for all trainees.