self-employment

[ self-em-ploi-muhnt, self- ]

noun

1. the act or fact of being self-employed.

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-employment¹

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

Income tax is paid on earnings from employment and profits from self-employment during the tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year.

From BBC

A year later, on 6 October 2023, in an Instagram post artfully depicting her branded products alongside a vase of roses and a manicured hand, she thanked God for “the blessing of self-employment”.

From BBC

It’s also well documented that immigrants have higher rates of self-employment, whether that means working as an Uber driver, pushing a street food cart or launching an ambitious tech business.

From Los Angeles Times

Income tax is paid on earnings from employment and profits from self-employment during the tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year.

From BBC

Income tax is paid on earnings from employment and profits from self-employment during the tax year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year.

From BBC

More About Self Employment

What does self-employment mean?

Self-employment is the state of being self–employed—earning one’s main income by getting paid directly for one’s work, such as by owning one’s own business, as opposed to being an employee and getting paid by an employer.

Self-employment is typically used in a way that refers to a person’s primary, full-time way of earning income—as opposed to working as an employee and doing freelance work on the side, for example.

The term self-employed is often used by and applied to people who consider themselves business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

Example: I love self-employment—my boss is amazing.

Where does self-employment come from?

Employment is a noun form of the verb employ, which ultimately derives from the Latin implicāre, meaning “to engage” (the word engage is sometimes used to mean “to hire” or “to employ”). The self part of the word is used in the same way in other words like self-government and self-control.

Most people who are self-employed will tell you self-employment has its pros and cons. On the positive side, you’re your own boss. But it’s often a lot of responsibility and risk. People who are self-employed don’t get many of the benefits associated with being a full-time employee of a company or organization. Self-employment doesn’t necessarily mean you work alone—many self-employed business owners employ other people.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to self-employment?

• self-employed (adjective)
• employment (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with self–employment? 

• unemployment
• underemployment
• employ
• employer
• employee
• self-government
• self-control

What are some words that often get used in discussing self–employment?

• job
• business
• owner
• boss
• freelance
• worker
• gig economy

How is self-employment used in real life?

Self-employment is often used in the context of people’s status as workers, such as for tax purposes.

Perk of self-employment: Choose your own hours!
Drawback of self-employment: There will be 12 of them today! https://t.co/LA7fFB9GNx

— Iron Spike (@Iron_Spike) May 1, 2017

Day 1 of 100% self employment
Pros: the world is my office
Cons: the world is my office

— maobaby (@maobaby) September 27, 2018

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended, with a second and final grant in August. Find out more here ⬇️https://t.co/cxxQCmD6t5 pic.twitter.com/g9VALuLzzM

— HM Revenue & Customs (@HMRCgovuk) June 1, 2020

 

 

Try using self-employment!

Is self-employment used correctly in the following sentence?

As self-employment becomes more popular, fewer people have a traditional 9-to-5 office job.