UK freelancers more confident on business outlook, survey shows

UK freelancers are more confident about the year ahead despite a drop in confidence in the economy, according to research from the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE).

The research showed that freelancers have more confidence on their business outlook than they did at this point last year, and also showed an increase in work levels. Freelancers worked for 84 per cent of the first quarter of 2016 compared to 80 per cent in 2015.

Important

The survey looked at freelancers working in different sectors and found that the most confident freelancers work in technical roles, such as healthcare and legal.

The research also revealed factors that have a positive and negative impact on business performance.

Over 55 per cent said that personal brand and reputation are the most important factors for freelancers to drive business performance, whilst 54 per cent listed government attitude towards freelancing as having the most negative impact.

Resilient

Recent research by IPSE showed that freelancers generated £109 billion for the UK economy last year, and now make up 6 per cent of the UK’s workforce.

IPSE CEO Chris Bryce commented on the latest survey, stating that it shows that freelancers are “resilient.”

“Most remain confident in their business even as they are less sure about how the economy will shape up in the next 12 months. Because they work flexibly, freelancers are in many ways much better equipped to deal with a volatile economic picture,” he said.