Firstly, thank you all for joining us today for IPSE and Demos’ policy conference, ‘Modern Working: the Age of Self-Employment’.
I’m James Collings, Chairman of IPSE, which stands for the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed.
It’s also the Latin term for ‘him- or herself’. A Latin pun – how’s that for first thing on a Wednesday morning?
But now… the conference we have put together comes at a momentous time not just for the self-employed but for the country.
As we will hear from two of the best-known speakers on the matter – Iain Duncan Smith and Vince Cable – the ongoing Brexit negotiations will decide the fate of our economy for many years to come.
Today we’ll be discussing the future of the people who underpin that economy: our workforce.
In the last few years, one group has helped change the UK workforce almost beyond recognition.
Embedded in industries across the country, they are our 4.8 million self-employed.
They work in all parts of our economy. They could be your doctor, the person designing your website and, yes, even the rider delivering your dinner.
Their rise to prominence has been nothing less than a revolution.
And the purpose of our conference is to examine the effects and future of that revolution.
To that end, at IPSE we have been working with Demos over the last weeks and months to gather some of the leading thinkers on this subject from right across the worlds of business and politics.
Today is the culmination of that: when we can bring together everyone from ministers and academics to business managers and entrepreneurs to develop exciting, innovative ideas for the future of work.
In particular, IPSE is very honoured to have the Chief Secretary to the Cabinet, Elizabeth Truss, join us today, who will present her keynote address, ‘Power to the People’.
IPSE has been very pleased, Minister, by the positive work the Government is doing on self-employment, particularly clamping down on the blight of late payments, and consulting on making training tax-free for the self-employed.
Here's a wrap-up from our policy conference #IPSEpc18 yesterday! A huge thanks to all those who made it a success, including our wonderful host @cathynewman & our valued speakers and panellists! pic.twitter.com/mthA9s7KFY
— IPSE Westminster (@IPSEwestminster) April 26, 2018
But, as the report we’ve done with Demos demonstrates, more still needs to be done.
As you’ll hear in many speeches and expert panel discussions throughout the day, self-employment is changing the shape of work in the UK.
It is changing the way young people look at work, it is giving older people the opportunity to earn extra income much later into their lives, and it is helping mothers to return to the workforce how and when they want.
Self-employment is giving people across the country the flexibility to live better, more balanced lives.
That’s why, as this conference will show, policymakers and business leaders must give this vital sector the support it needs.
To make working for yourself… work for the country.
Now, before we get the conference into full swing, I would like to particularly thank our sponsors Uber and Travers Smith for making all this possible.
And now, without further ado, as Chairman of IPSE, it is my great pleasure to officially open our policy conference, ‘Modern Working: the Age of Self-Employment’.
Thank you and enjoy the day!
Watch the video of the day here: https://youtu.be/Y_HsJR_tGQg