The Government has commissioned an independent review to investigate the challenges and opportunities facing those who want to work for themselves.
The review will be carried out by Julie Deane, the founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company. It will be published in 2016.
Self-employment accounts for over a quarter of the growth in UK employment since 2010. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), one in seven people in employment choose to work for themselves, making a total of 4.5 million people.
The review will highlight the contribution that sole traders and freelancers make to the UK economy and investigate how they can be better supported. The review will also look at what can be done to provide more security and peace of mind, for example, when juggling self-employment and having a family, buying a home or saving for retirement.
In addition, the review will:
- Explore why people opt to be self-employed;
- Investigate different types of self-employed work, including freelancing professionals and sole traders;
- Look at the challenges and issues faced by self-employed people;
- Recommend how the UK can create a more flexible and supportive environment for self-employment.
Julie Deane said: "The business landscape has changed so much in the last ten years and in such a way that self-employment is now a viable option for so many more people. I have first-hand experience of the immense opportunities starting your own business can bring, but also understand the challenges that can face those starting out on their own."
Business secretary Sajid Javid said: "As part of our aim to achieve full employment, we want to create an environment that supports people who want to work hard and strike out on their own and makes the UK the best place in Europe to start and grow a business."
The review has been welcomed by Chris Bryce, chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE). The review, he said, "demonstrates the Government's commitment to help the self-employed meet the challenges we have been highlighting. Some of the biggest obstacles facing this group relate to saving for retirement, getting mortgage applications accepted and affording time off following the birth of a child."