Brits say no to being the boss

Christopher Dawes tosses an office phone during the Unemployment Olympics in New York, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. The lighthearted competition was only open to the unemployed, and included a such games as "Pin the Blame on the Boss" and "Office Telephone Toss". (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Christopher Dawes tosses an office phone during the Unemployment Olympics in New York, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. The lighthearted competition was only open to the unemployed, and included a such games as "Pin the Blame on the Boss" and "Office Telephone Toss". (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Published Jul 17, 2015

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London - It’s normal for employees to moan about their boss. And now it seems Britons are even falling out of love with working for themselves.

The number of self-employed workers has fallen at its fastest rate for 17 years, dropping by 131 000 in the past 12 months. It means there were 2 500 fewer people working for themselves every single week.

In the years following the 2008 financial crisis, many entrepreneurial Britons set up their own businesses after finding themselves out of work or in lower-paid roles.

Self-employment peaked at around 4.6 million people last June, accounting for 15 percent of workers.

But the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show this has since dropped to fewer than 4.47 million, or 14 percent of all workers. The abrupt fall is the biggest since October 1998, when it dropped by 144 000 in a year.

The ONS said the drop was driven by fewer people opting to enter self-employment rather than large numbers leaving.

Chris Bryce, of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, said this drop could go into “freefall” if people with their own businesses were not given more government support.

Daily Mail

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