In the last couple of days increased employment has been reported, the number of people working in the UK is officially 30million for the first time, but how is this determined ? In earlier posts on this Blog I’ve shown how much the Government relies on estimates. Official figures are guesstimates, probably optimistic guesstimates.
They are not full time or full time equivalent posts, this includes those working part time, zero hours contracts, etc. and may still include those gaining work experience, paid or unpaid. Certainly recently these were counted as ‘employed’, as far as I am aware many or all still are.
More people are self-employed. There are people who choose to be
self-employed; tradespeople and entrepreneurs, but there are also those for who
self-employment is a last resort or a convenience for employers who have work
to offer, but choose to employ people on a freelance basis rather than
recruiting full or part time employees.
For some self-employment may be the realisation of an entrepreneurial
vision that will also generate employment for others, for some a decent income,
but for others the market for their skills and knowledge may produce only
limited opportunities to work. How many
who formerly enjoyed the security of a salaried post and a defined role now
work intermittently as consultants for £10,000, or less, a year ?
The recovery is still unbalanced and uncertain, and employment growth outside the South East and London has yet to significantly pick up.