No sign of UK self-employment growth slowing
IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed, has responded to the news that the number of self-employed workers in the UK rose by 257,000 to 4.79 million in the three months to June 2016.
Lorence Nye, IPSE economic adviser, said:
“This year has seen consistent, strong growth in self-employment and it appears as though the trend will continue. This is mainly driven by long term structural shifts in the labour market and an increased desire among people to work flexibly and control their careers.
“These latest figures cover the period before and immediately following the EU referendum – a time of heightened uncertainty in the economy. A number of business surveys have indicated that confidence is low and the risk of taking on long term staff has become unattractive, despite skills shortages remaining in a number of industries. IPSE’s own research released in July revealed that freelancers are more in demand now than ever before. There is clearly an appetite for the flexibility the self-employed provide to businesses at this time; they are vital in this climate.
“It is important that the self-employed are able to provide flexibility to bolster the UK economy following the vote to leave the EU. Government should look to use Autumn Statement as an opportunity to support the growing number of people who make the decision to work for themselves.”
