You asked
I am writing to formally request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:
- The total number of workers classified as "gig economy" workers in the UK as of 31/03/2021 -- or your most recent data - including Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers, couriers, and food delivery workers.
- How many of the above workers were "self-employed"
- The demographic break-down of these workers, by ethnicity, gender and age group.
- The number of workers classified as "gig economy" workers in the UK as of 31/02/2020, including PHV drivers, couriers, and food delivery workers.
- How many of the above workers were "self-employed"
- The demographic break-down of these workers, by ethnicity, gender and age group.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The term "gig economy" is used to describe jobs that fit into a loosely defined concept, sometimes described as independent workers for short-term commitments. However, there is no formal agreed definition of what does or does not constitute a gig-economy worker. Consequently, there are no official statistics relating to the number of gig economy workers.
Where reports have appeared estimating the size of the gig-economy, the compilers of those numbers have made their own independent assumptions about what may or may not constitute a gig-economy worker. Consequently, estimates in such reports will vary widely.
If you would like to discuss these statistics further, please contact Labour.Market@ons.gov.uk.