ABSTRACT
The shift towards small-scale capital in Britain and other Western economies in the 1980s is now well documented (Storey and Johnson, 1987; Steinmetz and Wright, 1989). In Britain in the 1980s there was an increase in self-employment from 1.9 million in 1979 (7.7 per cent of total employment) to 3.4 million in 1989 (Hakim, 1989; Department of Employment, 1990a) or around 12 per cent of the total labour force. There has also been a steady and consistent net rise in the number of businesses registering for VAT which indicates a rise in the number of independent businesses (see Table 9.1). Number of people in self-employment 1980–8 and VAT registrations 1981–9, (000s) https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Year
Registered self-employed *
Companies registered for VAT (end year) **
1980
2,011
1,305
1981
2,177
1,337
1982
2,190
1,357
1983
2,304
1,392
1984
2,619
1,422
1985
2,714
1,441
1986
2,726
1,468
1987
2,998
1,513
1988
3,156
1,574
1989
3,425
1,662
Based on Labour Force Survey data (e.g. Employment Gazette, 1989a; Department of Employment, 1990), except for 1980 and 1982 (Department of Employment figures in Storey and Johnson, 1987).
Based on VAT registrations and deregistration 1980–7 (British Business, 1989). 1989 figures based pm Department of Employment (1990b).
