HC Deb 16 February 1978 vol 944 c329W
Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total number of people classed as self-employed as a percentage of the labour force in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Golding

Following is the information required for the United Kingdom at June of each year from 1966 to 1975, the latest date for which estimates of the number of self-employed are available:

NUMBER OF SELF-EMPLOYED PEOPLE (WITH OR WITHOUT EMPLOYEES) AND PERCENTAGE OF THE WORKING POPULATION
1966 1,681,000 6.6
1966 1,762,000 6.9
1968 1,786,000 7.0
1969 1,853,000 7.3
1970 1,902,000 7.5
1971 1,909,000 7.6
1972 1,899,000 7.5
1973 1,947,000 7.6
1974 1,925,000 7.5
1975 1,886,000 7.3