Simply Business homepage
  • Business insurance

    • Business Insurance FAQs

    Business insurance covers

  • Support
  • Claims
  • Sign In
Call Us0333 0146 683
Our opening hours

Revealed: 31% annual surge in UK freelancers

2-minute read

header.jpg
Sam Bromley

Sam Bromley

20 June 2019

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

The UK economy is becoming increasingly reliant on the freelance workforce’s contribution to a range of different industries, according to new Simply Business data.

As one of the UK's biggest business insurance providers, we know the UK’s freelancers and self-employed are the backbone of the economy. That's why we’re celebrating National Freelancers Day 2019 – and why we’ve delved into our data to reveal trends in the UK freelancer market, recognising the vital contribution they make.

The results are fascinating. The Midlands tops the list of regional hotspots, while emerging lifestyle businesses are driving a huge surge in freelancer growth.

31% annual rise in people looking to go freelance in 2018

First thing’s first – there’s been a big overall surge in people looking to go freelance, with a 31 per cent annual rise.

But while major trades like IT support and consultancy remain reliant on freelance support, the real growth in this space is being driven by a wave of emerging lifestyle and creative businesses. This suggests that more people are attempting to turn their hobbies and passions into businesses.

  • for example, more and more people were looking to become dog walkers in 2018, with a 60 per cent year-on-year increase in requests for insurance
  • beauticians and home bakers are two industries also seeing phenomenal growth, demonstrating 159 per cent and 68 per cent annual increases respectively
  • yet more freelancers are keen to take their services to their customers – there’s been a 51 per cent year-on-year increase in mobile beauticians looking for insurance
  • finally, the creative industries are also enjoying a freelancer boom. There’s been a 24 per cent increase in freelance photographers (and an incredible 91 per cent growth since 2016)

The UK’s regional freelancer hotspots

The new data also reveals that the Midlands is a freelancer hotspot, with more people feeling inspired to go it alone there than any other:

Position

Region

1

The Midlands

2

East Anglia

3

North East England

4

North West England

5

South Central England

6

London

7

South West England

8

Scotland

9

Wales

10

Northern Ireland

And breaking this down by profession, it’s clear that it’s the UK’s regions driving freelancer growth in the emerging lifestyle industries.

This is because London’s most popular freelance trades still include traditional private sector roles such as project managers, accountants and consultants – whereas the story in the Midlands is different:

London:

Position

Trade

1

Accountant

2

Teacher/tutor

3

Project manager

4

Caterer (excluding mobile vans)

5

Graphic designers

The Midlands:

Position

Trade

1

Hairdresser

2

Teacher/tutor

3

Mobile hairdresser (including renting a chair)

4

Dog walkers

5

Courier

Similarly, the North East of England’s top three freelance growth industries are hairdressers, dog walkers and mobile hairdressers. Northern Ireland’s top four industries include booming sectors such as make-up artists, beauticians and photographers.

There are now 4.8 million self-employed workers in the UK

The new data chimes with figures from the Office for National Statistics, which show that the number of self-employed workers has increased from 3.3 million in 2001 to 4.8 million in 2017.

In total, it’s estimated that the self-employed market contributes £275 billion to the UK economy.

Bea Montoya, COO of Simply Business commented: “On National Freelancers Day 2019, we wanted to take the opportunity to shine the light on this crucial sector, celebrate its continued growth, and dig deeper into the individual professions that are behind the trend.

“Our data highlights the stark increase in the number of people turning their hobbies into their livelihood. It’s truly great to see so many people pursuing their passions, whilst also driving the success of countless other businesses.”

Our data is highly anonymised and based on analysis carried out in June 2019.

What do you think of these freelancer trends in the UK? Let us know in the comments below.

Looking for self-employed insurance?

With Simply Business you can build a single self employed insurance policy combining the covers that are relevant to you. Whether it's public liability insurance, professional indemnity or whatever else you need, we'll run you a quick quote online, and let you decide if we're a good fit.

Start your quote
Sam Bromley

Written by

Sam Bromley

Sam has more than 10 years of experience in writing for financial services. He specialises in illuminating complicated topics, from IR35 to ISAs, and identifying emerging trends that audiences want to know about. Sam spent five years at Simply Business, where he was Senior Copywriter.

We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always take professional advice. Read our full disclaimer

Find this article useful? Spread the word.

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

Keep up to date with Simply Business. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Categories

HomePopular articlesGeneral businessGuestInsuranceLandlordLandlord resourcesLegal and financeMarketingNewsOpinionProperty maintenanceTradesmanCovid-19 business support hub

Insurance

Public liability insuranceBusiness insuranceProfessional indemnity insuranceEmployers’ liability insuranceLandlord insuranceTradesman insuranceSelf-employed insuranceRestaurant insuranceVan insuranceInsurers

About

About usOur teamAwardsPress releasesPartners & affiliatesOur charitable workModern Slavery ActSection 172 statementSocial mediaSite map

Customer support

Contact & supportPolicy renewalMake a claimProof of policyComplaintsAccessibility

Address

6th Floor99 Gresham StreetLondonEC2V 7NG

Northampton 900900 Pavilion DriveNorthamptonNN4 7RG

Careers

Careers at Simply BusinessTech careersCurrent opportunities

Benefits

BenefitsRefer a friendFinance

Legal

Terms & conditionsPrivacy policyCookie policyVuln Disclosure policy

Knowledge

Knowledge centreOpinionsMicrosites

© Copyright 2024 Simply Business. All Rights Reserved. Simply Business is a trading name of Xbridge Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Registration No: 313348). Xbridge Limited (No: 3967717) has its registered office at 6th Floor, 99 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NG.