Enterprise Nation

Disclaimer before launch

Before disclosing the figures, John Kitching of Kingston University (the man who undertook the research) explained that:

"estimates of the size of the freelance workforce vary with the definition of freelance status adopted and the data sources used to derive them. Estimates should be treated with caution in so far as they rely on data sources that have been created for other purposes and are known subject to error."

With this preamble from the skipper over, we were ready to set sail...

• LFS (Labour Force Survey) data suggest the freelance workforce comprises approx 3 1/4 million people in its broadest estimate
• BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform) suggests the freelance workforce is somewhere closer to 4 million people. This includes the 3.77 million self-employed owner managers, plus 100-200,000 owner directors in companies with multiple directors and no non-owning employees, and the 40-250,000 individuals estimated to be working under PAYE umbrella arrangements

Still with me?

• Taking a broad definition of the freelance workforce, businesses without employees generated an estimated £222 billion in sales during 2006
• The most popular occupations amongst freelancers are:

 - Artistic & literary occupations

 - Service industries

 - Teaching professionals

 - Media associates

 - Buisness & finance professionals

and the list goes on.

It's all interesting stuff as it shows the freelance community in the UK (that is, in the main, home based) is large and growing.

We'll be incorporating this research into our own 2008 Home Business Report that's being launched during BT's Small Business Week. It's packed with information on home business over the past 12 months, plus profiles of home business owners from across the UK.

In the meantime, I'm back on dry land and ready to report for home business duty! - Emma Jones

• Professional Contractors Group