Band 6+: The graph below shows the percentage of self-employed workers of the total workforce in five countries in 1998 and 2008. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar chart depicts the percentage of self employed workers of the total workforce across five different countries, namely – Russian Republic, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Greece and Turkey – in 1998 and 2008. Overall, it is clearly seen that self-employed rate in Turkey represented the dominant group in both years, although their proportion declined substantially by 2008. Similarly, the same scenario was true for the self-employed in Greece. By contrast, rest of counterparts increased slightly.

In 1998, the self-employed in Turkey was more than half of total workforce, at approximately 56%. In Greece, the self-employed constitued roughly 40%. While others, Russian Republic, Slovakia and Czech Republic, showed a mere 5%, 7% and 11% respectively.

In 2008, Turkish and Greek self-employed workers dropped sharply to nearly 40% and 35% respectively. Meanwhile, Russian Republic, Slovakia, and Czech Republic grew marginally by 2, 5, and 4 percentage points.