PCG, the membership organisation for freelancers, has rebranded in order to represent all independent professionals working in the UK’s growing self-employed sector.
It will now be known as IPSE, the Association for Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed.
The rise in people choosing to become self-employed over the last ten years means the sector reached a record 4.59 million strong in July, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.
Chris Bryce, chief executive of IPSE, said: “By next year, the number of self-employed people in Britain is predicted to outnumber those working in the public sector.
“Self-employment is the zeitgeist. It has grown by an astonishing 39% since 2000 and has outstripped growth in traditional employment by three to one in the last decade. Every month thousands of people are waking up to the benefits that come with starting a business and IPSE will be there to ensure they are supported and protected every step of the way.
“It is time government truly recognised the dramatic shift in the way we work in the UK. While there’s never been a better time to work independently, much can be done to create a level playing field for the people brave enough to go it alone.
“IPSE’s aim is to make self-employment central to the economic debate in government and to ensure policies are in place that make it easier to become self-employed and to be self-employed.”