25th Jun 2014
There’s no doubt that the huge boom in self-employment and business starts in the UK is real and is now becoming entrenched. But the causes, benefits and costs of this new phenomenon are much less clear.
An excellent report by the RSA Action and Research Centre challenges current myths and tries to get to the truth. It suggests that the rise in self-employment has as much to do with structural changes in the economy and society (the emergence of new technologies, shifting demographics, and changing mindsets) as it is about the newly self-employed being forced into it by a lack of ‘proper’ jobs in the economy.
If the research is right, we can look forward to a much stronger UK business base in future years - an elusive goal for economic policy makers for decades. It’s well worth a read....