Unemployment figures show self-employed among the hardest hit by the pandemic

The ONS has today released labour market figures showing an increase in unemployment and a significant fall in the number of self-employed people in work.

In particular, employment among self-employed men has plunged by 366,000 since the start of 2020

General Secretary of Prospect Mike Clancy responded to the news:

“This data shows that the self-employed have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with numbers dropping alarmingly since the crisis hit.

“The government has been repeatedly warned it is not doing enough to support the self-employed, and their exclusion from any additional support in the Chancellor’s latest update to his Winter Economic Plan looks even worse in light of these figures.

“The Inquiry into the Future of Self-Employment launched last week by Prospect, Community and the FSB is part of our mission to help pull self-employment in the UK back from the brink – I urge the Government to engage with us before it is too late.”