Introduction



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In the labour market there are a plethora of job opportunities; one can work full-time, part-time, lifetime, have an odd job, be self-employed, work as an employee or an employer, work from home, sitting in a desk or out in the streets. The most common categorization is that between full-time and part-time jobs, with the latter showing an increase over the past years. However, there is also one more, very important factor that distinguishes the different types of jobs: working declared or undeclared.

Working declared means that you have accepted an official offer and that you let the government know you now have an income. You are taxed on that income, meaning you lose a certain amount of your salary, but you also get some benefits like healthcare or pension for when you retire. You actively and formally contribute in society by giving back some of the money you gain.

Working undeclared means you are not taxed on your salary; usually that would mean you have more money in your pocket at the end of the day. However, it is both illegal to do so and harmful to your country’s National Budget, since money from both your and your employer’s taxes are lost.

The sad truth however is that working undeclared has risen drastically over the past few years across the world, since people (both employers and employees) look at the short-term benefits and ignore the long-term costs. In some cases one of the two has to take a stand and insist to do what is right; work declared.

Task



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The purpose of this task is to figure out how to deal with an employer who tries to push you to work undeclared. You will need two participants for this task who will do a small debate. One of the two will have to act as the employer who tries to push a potential employee to work undeclared and the second will act as the employee who is trying to reason against him.  

During this task, you should think how you would respond to an employer that asks that you should work undeclared. Do you believe you could persuade him to hire you as declared? If not, would you be willing to reject a job and look for another one?

The focus here is to understand why working undeclared is in fact doing more harm than good to both parties. Be truthful with each other and try to take notes while talking to see what you could improve in your arguments and the way you present them.

Process

Before the interview

  • The person acting as employer should write down all arguments in favour of undeclared working and the person acting as the potential employee should write down all argument in favour of declared work.
  • Write down all counter-arguments you could potentially provide against each other.
  • You can find all the necessary information in the documents Undeclared Work 1, 2 & 3, and the YouTube videos.

See Exercise 1 for tips on how to structure your arguments and how to be better prepared for the debate!

The interview

One person will assume the role of the interviewer/employer and the other person will be the interviewee/potential employee. The scenario will be that the job offered will be undeclared. In the beginning, the focus will be on the interviewer who will have to reason why he thinks is best for working undeclared. Then is the turn of the interviewee who will try to list as many arguments in favour of declared work as possible, as well as confront all of the interviewer’s arguments with counter-arguments.

After you are done, discuss about the interview and all the arguments and counter-arguments presented. Are you satisfied? Do you believe you could respond like that in a real life situation?

 

Conclusion

This is it!

By now, you should know the differences between working declared and undeclared. In addition, you should be ready to face any employer who asks you to work undeclared. Do not be discouraged if you find it harder to get a declared job, it is your right to be declared at work and in the long run you will be better off if you work declared than undeclared!

Evaluation

  • Understand the negative impact the undeclared work has
  • Learn how to best present all your arguments and counter-arguments on that topic
  • Legal issues regarding working declared or undeclared
  • How to best support your point of view using arguments
  • The way working declared or undeclared influences the whole rather than just an individual
  • Ability to distinguish the difference between undeclared and declared work
  • Ability to look at long term benefits rather than short term ones
  • Draw the line on what is acceptable for you and what not

Resources

Links