NFD History - Market Research: The Value Of Freelancing

In the largest single piece of research ever conducted into the Freelance sector, Britain’s 1.4m freelance workers love life, are happier with their health, their financial situation, their prospects…and their wife, husband or partners!

A ComRes survey commissioned by PCG showed that nearly three-quarters (73%) of the 1,624 polled had actively chosen to become freelancers as a long-term career option in a survey to celebrate National Freelancers Day, the freelance community’s birthday. The organisation that sponsored the poll, PCG, the voice of freelancing, said the results underline that freelancing is a work/lifestyle choice.

Of the 668 businesses taking part in the poll a resounding majority gave a vote of support to freelancers. 60% of business leaders confess that it would be difficult for their business to operate without freelancers and 55% of business leaders said freelancers were essential to growing the UK economy.

The flexibility of the freelance community was underlined with 64% of businesses approached saying the concept of a traditional ‘9 to 5 day’ was old hat and didn’t apply to those who worked for them. Despite economic doubts 73% of businesses envisage opportunities for freelancers within their organisations to increase or at least stay the same in the next 12 months.

When asked to score how happy they are generally on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5=very happy, out of a maximum score of 5, freelancers score 3.79 for general happiness, while the public score 3.60. So, if the person across from you this Monday morning on the bus, train or tube looks happy and content, the chances are he or she is a freelancer.