Boost in self-employed numbers 'good news for business'

by Susie Hughes at 12:25 15/08/23 (News on Business)

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the self-employed population has undergone four consecutive quarters of growth. This is the first time that the self-employed population has grown year-on-year in four successive quarters since the onset of the pandemic.

Advertisement There are 64,000 more self-employed than this time last year bringing the total, to 4.3 million self-employed people operating in the UK. The news was welcomed by freelancer and self- employed group, IPSE, as 'good news for business'. Andy Chamberlain, from IPSE said: “These figures mark a return to year-on-year self-employment growth for a fourth consecutive quarter. This is good news for businesses looking to flexibly recruit talent at a time when economic conditions might make a permanent hire less feasible. “While self-employment is growing again, so too is unemployment. Government would be remiss not to harness the potential our growing self-employed sector offers to get more people working and earning again, particularly if regular employment is failing to meet their needs. "The self-employed population remains 700,000 below pre-pandemic levels, which shows the scale of opportunity for government to get people back into work. “We know that people choose self-employment for overwhelmingly positive reasons, whether it’s to follow a passion or strike a better work-life balance; that more and more people are choosing to work in this way is something to applaud. But it also highlights the need to urgently tackle the biggest threats to self-employed businesses, such as a punitive tax system, late paying clients, and the soaring cost of living.” Tweet -- If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'. - Susie Hughes © Shout99 2023

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