Self-employed numbers see year-on-year growth

Latest findings revealed positive news for the self-employed sector, showing there are 154,000 more self-employed workers in the UK compared to this time last year.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that in total, there are now 4.4 million self-employed professionals operating in the UK, with a significant rise in the number of women choosing to join the sector – an additional 93,000 compared to this time last year.

Commenting on these findings, IPSE Director of Policy, Andy Chamberlain, said, “Today’s figures mark a return to year-on-year self-employment growth for the third consecutive quarter. This is a very positive sign that the economy is perhaps starting to recover from the damage done by the pandemic, which put more than 700,000 freelancers and sole traders out of business.

“A bigger self-employed population is good news for businesses looking to recruit flexible talent on an interim basis, at a time when economic conditions might make a permanent hire less attractive.”

Andy added, “We know that people choose self-employment for overwhelmingly positive reasons, whether it’s to follow a passion, to work more flexibly, or to be your own boss. That more and more people are choosing to strike out on their own once again is something to applaud.

“As was the case throughout the 2010s, much of the past year’s growth came from greater inflows of women into self-employment – yet another sign that the sector is returning to pre-pandemic trends.

“Instead of hitting these people with an increasing burden of tax rises and red tape, government should be delivering supportive public policies towards this growing cohort of the workforce, particularly by simplifying the tax system and boosting the number of freelancers saving adequately for later life.”

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