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From time to time, we’ve highlighted the debate occurring in the UK over the rise of the self-employed. Some commentators see this as a bad thing.

In mid-June, the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) released a report on the future of Australia’s workforce. The full report is here. ICA's Executive Director, Ken Phillips, was asked to contribute a chapter on independent contracting. He cited global trends, presenting facts and some opinions. His CEDA chapter is here. More...

Important new research released in April has found that the number of independent professionals (iPros) in Europe has increased 45 per cent since 2004. Undertaken for the Professional Contractors Group in the UK, the study not only presents data on a country-by-country basis, but also includes profiling results which show that the major determinants for choosing self-employment are a sense of fulfilment and flexibility in working patterns. More...

If you don’t ‘brand’ yourself when you’re self-employed, your capacity to be your own business and make good money is diminished. This is an important message I took from a presentation at the Pan-Asia small business conference in Macau in November. Full blogpost here. More...

One of the biggest challenges facing large firms these days is how to manage a ‘blended’ workforce. Few companies are able to operate with employees alone. The use of independent contractors ‘blended’ with employees is a new ‘normal’.  More...

An ICA member reflects that disability care requires flexible workforce arrangements, and people prepared to do the work! The ICA member says:

I am interested in the progress of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and admit self-interest.  I now have my 93-year-old, infirm mother living in my home and requiring a high level of care. More...

The National Union of Workers explains its obsessive attitude towards casualisation and contractors (YouTube). But it is wrong. There’s no long-term change!   More...

In her blog, our social commentator Eve Pearce  considers the hidden issue of self-employed people and drug abuse. It’s probably an issue often ignored but we shouldn’t. Eve’s comments make us think. More...