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Written Answer by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, to Parliamentary Question on number of people in the labour force who are self-employed and working as full-time freelancers

Employment practices

Notice Paper No. 29 of 2016 for the next available Sitting

Question No. 27 for Written Answer

MP: Patrick Tay Teck Guan

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) as at 31 December 2015, how many people in the labour force are self-employed and working as full-time freelancers; (b) what sectors/industries are they from; and (c) what is their educational breakdown in terms of numbers of those who are (i) diploma holders and (ii) those with qualifications of degree and above.

Answer

  1. As of June 2015, 7.9% (or 169,500) of employed residents were own account workers. Own account workers are self-employed persons who operate their own business or trade without employing any paid worker.
  2. 93.1% (157,800) of own account workers were in the Services sector. In particular, this group of workers was most highly represented in the Transportation and Storage sector. Table 1 captures the detailed breakdown of own account workers by industry.

    Table 1: Own Account Workers Aged 15 Years & Over by Industry, June 2015
    Industry (SSIC 2015) Own Account Workers
    Number (‘000) Distribution (%)
    Total 169.5 100.0
       Manufacturing 3.9 2.3
       Construction 7.0 4.1
       Services 157.8 93.1
          Wholesale & Retail Trade 20.8 12.3
          Transportation & Storage 50.8 30.0
          Accommodation & Food Services 9.2 5.4
          Information & Communications 3.7 2.2
          Financial & Insurance Services 15.0 8.9
          Real Estate Services 15.6 9.2
          Professional Services 11.0 6.5
          Administrative & Support Services 5.8 3.4
          Public Administration & Education 13.5 7.9
          Health & Social Services 2.5 1.5
          Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 2.1 1.2
          Other Community, Social & Personal Services 7.9 4.7
       Others 1 0.8 0.5
    Source: 2015 Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, MOM

    Notes:
    1 ‘Others’ includes Agriculture, Fishing, Quarrying, Utilities and Sewerage & Waste Management.
    2 Data may not add up due to rounding.
  3. 16.4% (27,900) of own account workers hold diplomas and professional qualifications, while 21.4% (36,200) of these workers hold degrees and above. The proportion of own account workers with diplomas and above is 37.8%, compared to 53.3% (with diploma and above qualifications) amongst workers who are employees.