Contracting Trade Body ‘PCG’ Now Called ‘IPSE’

The freelancing body Professional Contractors Group (PCG) has recently changed its name to the Association of Independent Professional and the Self-Employed – or IPSE for short.

The not-for-profit organisation has reassured members that the change will not affect its mission to support freelancers, contractors and the self-employed in Britain. In fact, it hopes to be a step in the right direction for UK independent professionals.

Writing on the IPSE website, company chairman Julie Stewart states that the new name came about as a result of the steady rise in the number of people becoming self-employed in the past decade – reaching 4.9 million people in July this year.

Furthermore, experts predict that self-employed workers will outnumber those in the public sector by as early as next year. This means that it was essential for these individuals to have an organisation that is better able to represent their needs – which is where the IPSE comes in.

As well as providing support for members, the IPSE will remind policy-makers that they need to recognise the dramatic shift that has taken place among UK workers.

“It is time Government truly recognised the dramatic shift in the way we work in the UK,” Stewart said. “While there’s never been a better time to work independently, much can be done to create a level playing field for the people brave enough to go it alone.”

“IPSE’s aim is to make self-employment central to the economic debate in Government and to ensure policies are in place that make it easier to become self-employed and to be self-employed,” she added.