An
increasing number of people are opting out of full-time employment in favour of
a freelance career, according to joint research by Leeds Business School and
matchmaking service Xchangeteam.
Of
the 191 people surveyed, 45 per cent have left full-time employment since 1998,
and of these 55 per cent plan to continue freelancing or set up their own
business.
Greater
personal freedom, heightened work satisfaction and a reduction in stress levels
are the most common reasons given for making the change.
Earnings
are also a factor, with 36 per cent of respondents claiming to have seen their
incomes rise since going freelance.
Nearly
two-thirds of the freelancers interviewed earned an income of between £25,000
and £50,000 per annum, working an average of 36.8 hours a week.
Report
author Professor Ralph Trench said, "The survey clearly shows that
freelancers are now a growing force in the workplace of the 21st century.
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"They
are now regarded as an important group of people by businesses, who are using
their skills to complement that of their own full-time staff. Indeed,
freelancing is no longer seen as a Cinderella profession but as a career in its
own right."
