Working for you: a progressive manifesto for the self-employed
Prospect has launched a new report with the Fabian Society and Community trade union, proposing a set of policies to help self-employed people thrive at work.
Self-employed workers contributed £305 billion to the UK’s economic output in 2019 – 14% of GDP. Prospect represents over 20,000 self-employed workers in a range of roles.
Despite their contribution, self-employed people get a raw deal. They are more exposed to the ebbs and flows of the business cycle, and lack many of the protections enjoyed by employees, such as sick pay, parental rights and pensions.
Any party with ambitions to govern should have a plan to meet these challenges. There could be approaching five million self-employed voters in the next general election, with around a million in the marginal constituencies that will play a decisive role in the outcome. Any party who ignores self-employed people will be hit at the ballot box.
This manifesto proposes policies to improve working conditions, financial security, and business support for the self-employed and micro-businesses.
It covers those who operate under a range of statuses and designations including sole-traders, limited companies, partners, freelancers, subcontractors, fixed term contractors and ‘limb b’ workers – essentially everyone in work who is not an employee under both employment and tax law.
