Freelancers are driving the employment revolution

The number of freelancers in the EU-28 rose by a quarter (24%) from 7.7 million to 9.6 million between 2008 and 2015.

That’s according to new research published by IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed, which shows that more people are taking the plunge and launching a business in almost every EU Member State. The largest number of new freelancers are in Western Europe – specifically the UK, France and the Netherlands – which between them saw 1.2 million more people launch a solo business in the seven years to 2015. Previous IPSE research has shown that freelancers contribute £109 billion each year to the UK economy alone.

A significant number of the new arrivals are women and older workers, reflecting a change of attitude among those who may not historically have been drawn to independent working. A million more women chose to work independently between 2008 and 2015 – compared to 900,000 additional men.

Chris Bryce, IPSE CEO, commented: “Right across the EU, huge numbers of people are seeing the benefits of being their own boss and they’re finding the confidence to launch new businesses. An increase of almost a quarter in just seven years is making these professionals a force to be reckoned with. Independent professionals are usually highly educated and in highly-skilled positions, and they’re vital to a booming economy.”

This trend towards freelancing is in spite of a stagnant labour market, with the UK’s Consumer Price Index remaining at 0.3% in May. IPSE Economist, Lorence Nye, said: “Continued low inflation is generally good news for the self-employed. However, the increase in transport costs is a concern. Independent workers tend to travel longer distances for work than traditional employees, so this represents an added cost to doing business.



“Over the last six months our research reports freelancers are worried about rising business costs – and it looks like their fears are being realised. Inflation remains barely positive, and it still has a long way to go before reaching the Bank of England’s target level of 2%.”