Freelancing is now a core part of the UK labour market, with around 4.4 million self-employed individuals working in this way. Yet despite its scale, there is still limited understanding of where the sector is heading and how freelancers expect their working lives to evolve over the coming years.

This new research, conducted by IPSE and Malt, explores how self-employment is changing, what is driving freelancers to stay in self-employment, and what is creating uncertainty about their future.

It examines the future of freelancing in the UK, including how freelancers view self employment as a long-term career, how financial pressure and income instability shape decisions, and what influences confidence when working for yourself.

It also explores what determines whether freelancers remain in self-employment, including the ability to plan financially, access consistent work, and build long term security within a variable income environment.

Finally, it identifies what would improve long term sustainability for self-employment, including stronger financial resilience, improved stability of earnings, and better alignment between the realities of freelance work and the systems that support it.