Are freelancers a neglected form of small business?

an article by John Kitching and David Smallbone  (Small Business Research Centre, Kingston-upon Thames University) published in Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development Volume 19 Issue 1 (2012)

Abstract


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.

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