The graph illustrates the proportion of people employed across three distinct sectors in the UK’s public, private, and self-employed over a ten-year period. Overall, there was a substantial increase in both public sector staff and independent workers. Conversely, the figure for the private sector followed a remarkable decline trend.
In terms of the public sector and self-employment, both categories experienced an ‘upward trend over the decade. The proportion of employees remained stable at roughly 38% during the first three years, which was followed by a considerable increase to almost 49% in 2005. After declining slightly to 45% in 2006, the figure recovered steadily to reach a peak of just over 50% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of self-employed workers started at 28% in 2000 and grew minimally by 2% in 2002. Although this figure decreased gradually over the next three years, it later improved year on year, ultimately reaching 30% by the end of the period.
In contrast, the private sector underwent a steady fall throughout the period. While workforce participation in private businesses started at the highest level of 48% in 2000, it flattened out at 41% between 2002 and 2003, whereas a remarkable decrease of 20% was recorded by 2010.