A new study has revealed that a surge in self-employment has “dramatically reshaped” Scotland’s workforce since the recession.
Research by the Resolution Foundation think tank found that the number of company employees dropped between 2008 and 2013 in more than half of the UK.
Over the same period, the number of self-employed workers has risen sharply in every area except Northern Ireland.
The fall in employees of businesses was starkest in Scotland, where the group said there had been a decline of 71,000 employees during the period – and a rise of 17,000 self-employed people.
Only in London did new employee jobs outstrip self-employed posts.
Laura Gardiner, report co-author and senior research analyst at Resolution Foundation, said: “It’s remarkable to see how the growth in self-employment has generally outstripped the creation of employee jobs since the start of the recession. Although the experiences from region to region have varied significantly.
“London and the east of England are the only regions where employee jobs have outstripped self-employed jobs, and until this year, the number of employees across the UK since the recession has barely risen.
“It’s clear that the rise of self-employment and the decline in employee jobs has dramatically re-shaped the UK workforce.
“However, it’s important to note that the data does not include 2014, which has seen UK employment rise to levels unseen since the recession.
“This means that the difference between employee and self-employed jobs growth may not be as stark as we move forward.”