UK self-employment at 40 year high
by Startacus Admin
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had the rare pleasure of announcing last week that self employment has increased to its highest level in over 40 years. Obviously this is incredibly welcome news here at Startacus, but we have to admit that even we were somewhat surprised by the announcement.
For so long now, all we seem to be hearing is that economic indicators point to slow recovery following the recession, with some figures increasing towards pre-crash levels…but certainly not exceeding them.
However self starter spirit seems to have one won out against the darkness of economic gloom with a huge 15% of those in employment in the UK now working for themselves, equating to about 4.6 million people. This represents an increase of almost 20% when compared to the pre-financial crisis figures released in 2008 which showed that just 12% of working people were self employed.
The really interesting figure
Since 2008 there has been an increase of 1.1 million in the number of people who are employed in the UK, of which two thirds describe themselves as self employed. It’s hard to believe…twice as many people created their own job, as there were staff roles created in this period. It’s an astonishing figure that becomes all the more amazing when you consider the economic climate during which this increase has occurred.
We had a chat with Startacus Member Ross Harrison who has recently become a self-employed professional proofreader. He had this to say;
“I think that this increase in self employment is largely down to a dissatisfaction with the traditional volatility of employment opportunities. To a large extent, when you are employed as a member of staff, your job security relies on the overall success of the company, and not necessarily your contribution to it. With self-employment, the variables are much more in your control and as a result so too are the successes and failings”
It stands as testament to the resilience and ingenuity of the British people that when faced with a severe shortage of jobs and a rapidly shrinking economy, so many of them chose to go it alone and create their own business.
Whilst the UK government like to take the bulk of the credit for the ‘end of the recession’ this is further indication that it is the individual, the self starter, the freelancer, the startup and the small business owner that have been and continue to be the backbone of economic recovery.
Congratulations ye 700,000 self starters, we salute you!
If you have a great startup, project or idea then why not add it to our fab new collaboration space where you can get support from self starters, mentors and investors.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Starting a business can be a lot of hard work, so here's a few ways to avoid burnout and find a healthy work life balance.
At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
The lowdown on how an Australian startup generated global sales for their innovative product, "weighted blankets"...
At 82% the UK takes 4th place in the list of countries being most ready for automation and robotics, whilst 30% of UK population’s jobs are at risk of automation.
The innovative game, eQuoo that helps users build their emotional fitness and thereby help fight their mental illness
The London-based femtech startup that is using AI and genetic testing to provide a tailored oral contraception service for women
Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
Brandtech group, You & Mr Jones, has invested in ethical video startup Good-Loop who have closed a US $1.6m seed funding round.
2019 saw celebrities contribute to start-up investments in record numbers, surpassing a previous spike in 2015.
Published on: 27th August 2014
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Ideation NI Thon at NI Science Festival sets out to solve global issues 17th Jan 2020 At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
- NI startup ESTHER takes flight to New York 16th Jan 2020 NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
- 2019 stats show that the gender pay gap continues 14th Jan 2020 Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
- Digital DNA Awards 2020 nominations now open 13th Jan 2020 The Digital DNA Awards, held in partnership with MCS Group, celebrate the best tech talent, from companies of all sizes, excelling in the world of Digital and Tech and not just in NI...
