Road to recovery: Self-employed on the mend?

Blackburn, Robert ORCID: 0000-0002-6488-0284, Ventura, Maria and Machin, Stephen (2026) Road to recovery: Self-employed on the mend? [Report]

Text cepsp53.pdf - Published version Download (1MB) | Preview

Executive Summary

The eighth LSE-CEP survey of the self-employed was undertaken between August and November 2025, following seven previous surveys in May 2020, September 2020, February 2021, September 2021, May 2022, November 2022 and June 2023. Data from this latest survey was collected in partnership with the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre. Weekly hours of the self-employed are now seeing some signs of recovery, compared with the last data collection in June 2023. Moreover, approximately two-thirds of self-employed claim their work level is now the same, or greater than February 2020, before Covid-19. This is not reflected in any significant change in the number of self-employed active in the labour market, which has remained stable since the first quarter of 2020. The positive increase in work hours is translating into improvements in wellbeing, especially among the younger groups and reflecting the desire for more hours that was expressed in the previous surveys. Moderate-to-severe mental health issues have more than halved in the 18–24-year-old group and dropped by 37% among 25–34-year-olds. The significant willingness to move to a salaried job found in Blackburn et al (2021, 2022, 2023a, 2023b) continues, although this has fallen a little below previous average estimates. Those in self-employment who have considered switching to an employee job, and those that currently are looking for one, show a higher willingness to move. Around half of those currently looking for an employee job are prepared to take a cut in salary. This reflects the heterogeneity of the self-employed and the precariousness that some people experience. While the general situation of the self-employed appears to be stabilising, this is not reflected in their political attitudes. A third of the self-employed had voted Labour in the 2024 general election, but support for the Labour government has since halved. Amid dissatisfaction with its performance and the poor support that respondents say it has granted to small businesses, the self-employed are now moving away from both Labour and the Conservatives.

Item Type:	Report
Uncontrolled Keywords:	entrepreneurship, labour market, self-employment, small firms, well-being
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > Faculty of Humanities & Social Sci (All T&R Staff) Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Management Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Management > School of Management (T&R Staff) Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Management > Strategy, IB and Entrepreneurship (SIBE)
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	09 Feb 2026 10:51
Last Modified:	09 Feb 2026 10:51
DOI:	10.17638/03196855
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3196855
Disclaimer:	The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate.