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A Picture of the Self-Employed
20/2/01



MORI has released details of research recently completed for client Alodis (a service for the self-employed). This looks at the growing trend among skilled workers in the UK to reject office life and work for themselves.

The top-line findings of the Alodis research show that:


  • Some 75% of self-employed professionals have had no Government support.
  • Some 69% have had little or no help from banks.
  • Seven out of 10 are glad to have left office politics behind.
  • Two thirds feel that being self-employed gives them more time to think.
  • Roughly 62% of them want a representative voice to speak for them.
  • The UK's estimated 1.6 million self-employed create around £65 billion per year.
  • The total number of self-employed is forecast to double within the next decade.


Among the other findings of the Alodis survey, it is clear that the self-employed do like the experience of working for themselves. They also believe that it breeds efficiency and innovation. Over three quarters (78% of respondents) believed that their quality of life had improved since becoming self-employed. A similar level (72%) also think that they have become more entrepreneurial. An additional two thirds of them report having become more confident since branching out on their own.

Looking to the future, Julia Hutchison, head of Alodis, said, "Projections show that within the decade this highly valuable group will double to represent over 3.2 million professionals; 12% of the UK working population. However, despite the obvious growing importance of this group, our research shows that three-quarters of self-employed professionals have done so without Government help and 69% have received little or no support from banks and financial institutions. Politicians long ago identified SME's as a vital part of the UK economy, but are doing nothing for the two-thirds of them who are sole traders, with their own special needs."

In order to carry out the research, MORI interviewed 500 self-employed professionals by telephone in the UK between 14 and 16 January 2001.