Half of the world is not a freelancer.

When you see posts which say “almost 50% of the world is freelancing” - take it with a pinch of salt.

1/ It likely refers to World Bank data, which shows that 48% of the world’s working population is self-employed.

2/ Not everyone in self-employment is a freelancer - self-employment includes precarious employment, gig work, informal work, and in many markets includes roles in categories such as agriculture. The guy who runs your corner shop is self-employed, that’s not freelancing.

3/ Global self-employment population has actually declined since 1990

Solo-self-employment in the UK is around 4.2m, of the 33m people in our country’s total work force. That’s around 12%. Of that, roughly 50% of those are seen as “freelancers” (which is a poorly and loosely defined term at best).

So, that’s closer to 6% of the UK workforce are freelancing.

Always dig into large bold claims, especially if they’re at the start of a post trying to sell you something.

Freelancing is a fantastic way of working for many people, but it’s not the only option, it’s not the right option for everyone, and it’s not the right option for every job.

Not everyone in the future will be freelancing, nor is it suitable for everyone.

And you shouldn’t feel pressured into freelancing because of bold claims stating it’s the future of work, or that half of the world is doing it - when that’s simply not true.

Understand your own needs, options and goals - and make your decisions based upon that - rather than an idea someone online is trying to sell you (because it’s in their interest to do so).