The desire for independence a key driver, say self-employed professionals

Self-employed professionals are driven by their desire for independence and greater work challenges, according to new research from freelance marketplace, PeoplePerHour.

More than a fifth (21.7 per cent) of self-employed survey respondents stated the desire for independence was the key incentive for setting up in business, followed by a need for a greater challenge, creativity success and job satisfaction (20.3 per cent).

Interestingly, childcare provision also plays a key role in the decision to become self-employed, with almost a quarter (23.6 per cent) of those interviewed acknowledging it as a factor in their decision to work for themselves.

Additional reasons for becoming self-employed include the ability to work from home (13.2 per cent), the opportunity for flexible working hours (12 per cent) and an improved work-life balance (10.7 per cent).

Only 1.2 per cent of survey respondents stated they had to be self-employed due to the very nature of their profession. This suggests that, in the main, self-employment is very much a voluntary choice influenced by personal lifestyle choices.

The respondents from the PeoplePerHour survey derived from 20 different industry sectors, including management occupations (4.8 per cent) and education (4.3 per cent).

However, the most popular self-employment fields were the creative industries (32.4 per cent) and computing or mathematical job roles (25 per cent).

Almost two-thirds of those interviewed were educated to degree level or above, with only 2.3 per cent possessing no qualifications whatsoever.

The average take-home earnings for UK respondents was £19,512.50, which is £1,312.50 more than those respondents located outside of the UK.



Image: Kate Hiscock

Last updated: 28th August 2015