Text 3. What is the difference between employed and self-employed status?

It is easy to think that you are employed if you work for somebody else and you are self-employed if you work for yourself! But life is not so simple. For example, what would be your status if you applied for and accepted the job advertised below?

Keyboard operators Required urgently Must be capable of inputting data at minimum of 40 keystrokes per minute. Only freelance operators should apply. Ring Claire Southern for details On 01891-930849 Data Processing services Ltd. Marsh Lane Hightown

In this case you would actually be classified as self-employed – and your rights, responsibilities and obligations, so far as tax and National Insurance are concerned, would be different from those of someone with employee status.

Being self-employed is not a status restricted to people who run their own business in the sense of owning property and stock and perhaps employing their own staff. Millions of people work from home in a wide range of occupations, and many of them are classed as self-employed, e.g. the hairdresser who has set up shop in one room of the house (or visits clients in their own homes), the freelance bookkeeper who does the accounts for other small businesses, the woman who holds clothing and the artist who takes on freelance work from various publishing companies.

People who work on a freelance basis hire out their skills to anyone who will pay them – a freelance photographer, for instance, might be contracted to do a specific job for a newspaper, or may take photographs of events on the chance that he can sell them.

Text 4. What are the factors contributing to the number of people employed?

Your job opportunities depend on a number of different factors. They can depend on you – your skills, your qualifications, your experience. However, they can also depend upon the area in which you live or want to live, or the type of industry in which you want to work. Factors which can influence employment opportunities include:

• Historical considerations, i.e. events that have happened in the past to lead a particular industry to become established in one particular area;

• Geographical considerations, e.g. industries being set up in regions near the port, near the canals, in an area with a lot of natural resources etc.

• Cultural considerations, e.g. in some areas there is a tradition of family-run businesses, and it may be difficult for an outsider to obtain employment in one of them.

In addition there are certain factors that affect employment opportunities no matter where you live.

• Industry-wide changes (such as the overall decline of the manufacturing industries and growth of the service industries and/or the introduction of new technology) have taken place throughout the UK.

• The political and economic policies of whichever government is in power also have the power to affect the availability of jobs. If the Government tries to stimulate the economy by giving financial incentives to small businesses, then jobs in that area will grow. If, on the other hand, it encourages growth in the public sector, employment opportunities will increase in areas such health, education and social work.