Campaigning
IPSE fights for what is right for you and your business. We campaign to Government and industry leaders to build a better world so you can grow your business and be happy and healthy in your everyday life.
Monthly Press Roundup June 2022: National Freelancers Day, Rail Strikes and more
- 29 Jun 2022
Over the past month, the country has been embroiled in political infighting post-partygate as well as experiencing deepening economic woes following the recent rise in inflation and fall in GDP.
At IPSE, we’ve been working on looking beyond these issues and focusing on how the wider economic landscape is affecting self-employed workers.
For example, at the end of the month, the country experienced the biggest train strikes in the past 30 years. We reacted to the strikes in The Independent by urging Network Rail and the RMT to come together and call off further strikes, as many freelancer workers who cannot work from home have been impacted by the rail strike.
National Freelancers Day
In June, IPSE hosted the biggest freelance event of the year - National Freelancers Day. Hosted virtually for the third year running, National Freelancers Day was a celebration of all things freelance.
To celebrate the day, we commissioned new research into public attitudes to self-employed workers. The research found that two in five Brits (39%) have considered becoming a freelancer. When breaking down the reasons why full-time workers are interested in becoming a freelancer, the research found that the main factor was flexibility (49%), followed by being their boss (48%) and an improved work-life balance (48%). What’s more, the research found that over three in 10 (33%) employees believe that they could make more money as self-employed workers.
You can read more about our research below:
Read more
It was covered in a number of publications including Politics.co.uk and Bdaily.
Future of Work Review
Earlier this year, the government announced that it would be launching a new review into the future of work under Matt Warman MP.
We responded to the review in Freelance UK. We welcomed the announcement and argued that technological changes such as automation and the rise in virtual working, as well as a shift in attitudes to work which has been compounded by the pandemic, have left traditional 9-to-5 employment feeling decidedly old-fashioned. It is, therefore, essential that policymakers understand these changes, so that they can design public policy around how people increasingly want to shape their working lives.
We also said that if the Future of Work review succeeds and policymakers are able to understand and successfully tackle issues like IR35 and employment status, then the dynamism and flexibility which is inherent in freelancing will once again drive economic growth, not just for the individuals who choose this way of working, but for the country as a whole.
Benefits of an IPSE membership
Unlock our range of business insurances, templates, guides, and lifestyle benefits. With the right protection for your business, you can focus on what you do best.
Advice
Need more help? Self-employment often means having to navigate lots of different websites with no clear source of truth. As the only not-for profit focused on self-employment, IPSE provides impartial and relevant advice on the topics that matter to you.
Meet the author
More on