For decades, the Netherlands appeared to be Europe’s laboratory for flexible employment. Its Working Hours (Adjustment) Act of 2000 strengthened employees’ ability to adjust their working hours, reinforcing an already established culture of part-time employment. Some interesting contractual experiments are now emerging further east.
Bulgaria is considering three new contractual forms as part of proposed Labour Code reforms. Two would allow several employers to share one employee or several employees to share a single position. A third concerns digital labour platforms, an area already addressed by the EU Platform Work Directive, which Member States must transpose by 2 December 2026.
The first two proposals are more distinctive. Although their precise legal design remains unsettled, they suggest a different way of organising employment. I describe both as “Multi-Flex contracts”: integrated employment arrangements in which either several employers share one employee or several employees share one position.
Hungary’s working precedent
Bulgaria would not be starting from scratch. Hungary has regulated comparable arrangements since its 2012 Labour Code. Több munkáltató által létesített munkaviszony describes employment established by several employers, whilst munkakör megosztása means sharing a single position.
Under Section 195, several employers conclude one contract with an employee performing the same function. The agreement identifies the employer responsible for paying...
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