Our relationship to those we work for
Short-term contracts
The number of workers on short-term contracts in the UK economy has increased in recent years. Although for many a short–term contract may be a step towards a permanent offer, other workers prefer to stay with short-term contracts and work on specific projects for a few months to a year, moving on regularly. The most commonly-given reason why people accept temporary contracts in the UK, according to the Labour Force Survey, is that they don't want a permanent one. ‘Contracting’ has become a common way of working within some industries ; in Computing, for example, some have often found it a useful way of constantly finding new and challenging work whilst keeping skills and knowledge up-to-date.
Portfolio workers
Portfolio workers have a variety or ‘portfolio’ of activities they carry out in order to earn a living. They may have two or more separate jobs with different employers, combine employment with running a business, or work in different industries at different times of the year.
Some experienced professionals choose portfolio working as adding interest and variety to their working life. Having secured themselves in one profession, they learn a new set of skills and start to practise them alongside their existing work. Sometimes this is a way of trying out or becoming established within a new type of work.
Portfolio working could also be considered as enhancing employability and security through providing choices; if one type of work dries up, the portfolio worker simply spends more time on other options.
Self-employment
Another clear trend in the UK economy is the steady growth of self-employment. A recent study of labour market trends showed that self-employment had grown across all sectors, in all regions, affecting men and women, full-time and part-time workers.
It would be wrong to assume this is all driven by entrepreneurship. In fact many self-employed people earn modestly and have no desire to grow their business beyond what will bring them an income that is acceptable to them. Self-employment is often more a way for people to do the type of work they want to do, in the way they want to do it.
Nor is self-employment an option chosen mostly by those established within work. It is just as likely to be a response to a period of unemployment or redundancy.