Self-employed workers now earning less than two decades ago
Researchers say that the current wage of today's self-employed worker is now lower than in 1994-95.
The Resolution Foundation said that while the UK's self-employed workforce had grown by 45% since 2001-02, their weekly earnings had fallen by £60. It blamed the rise of lower paid jobs and the financial crisis, which had reduced pay rates.
The report comes as a ruling on a closely watched case on pay for self-employed drivers for Uber is expected. Adam Corlett, economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said that almost five million UK workers were self-employed - about one in seven workers and a record high.
They included construction workers, hairdressers, taxi drivers, tutors and IT consultants, he said. "But while the self-employed workforce is getting bigger, typical earnings are actually lower than they were 20 years ago," Mr Corlett said.
Source: BBC Business News