Number of self-employed people no longer working is 50% higher than during first pandemic shutdown, thinktank warns
The number of self-employed people who have stopped working during the current lockdown is already 50% higher than the number without work during the first lockdown, and 41% have experienced a significant drop in earnings, according to a study by the Resolution Foundation.
Revealing the toll on self-employed workers, many in the hardest hit parts of the economy, the study shows around 700,000 have stopped working entirely during the current restrictions, up from 460,000 last May. Hairdressers, cleaners and people who became self-employed before the pandemic hit are among those who have missed out on support after government reforms failed to cover 1.5 million of the UK’s previously 5 million-strong army of self-employed workers.