TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that freelancing is neglected by researchers as a form of small business activity. It aims to consider whether it is possible and useful for researchers to distinguish freelancers from other types of small business owner.Design/methodology/approach– The paper does this in three ways: first, by conceptualising freelance status; second, by examining the research literature on freelance workers; and, third, by estimating the size of the UK freelance workforce to demonstrate their importance.Findings– The definition proposed permits identification of many types of freelancer hitherto neglected by researchers. Freelancers are a large and growing proportion of the UK business stock and the recent recession has led to a further expansion.Originality/value– Given the size and distinctiveness of the freelance workforce, researchers might explore the similarities and differences between freelancers and other small business owners with regard to: their motivations for starting and continuing to operate on a freelance basis; experiences of business ownership and management; the heterogeneity of the freelance workforce; and the wider social, economic and political causes and consequences of freelance working.
VL  - 19
IS  - 1
SN  - 1462-6004
DO  - 10.1108/14626001211196415
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/14626001211196415
AU  - Kitching John
AU  - Smallbone David
PY  - 2012
Y1  - 2012/01/01
TI  - Are freelancers a neglected form of small business?
T2  - Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 74
EP  - 91
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -