Working for yourself has never been more popular. Since the financial crisis, there has been a self-employment boom in Britain, while “gig economy” giants such as Uber and Deliveroo are rewriting the rules of work.
Yet being your own boss means forgoing valuable perks. Employee benefits such as life insurance, private healthcare and company pensions can be far harder – and more expensive – to replicate when you are on your own.
A major government review of the self-employed sector earlier this year was criticised for failing to address the huge pension savings gap. Over a quarter of self-employed workers are not saving at all, according to research from Fidelity International, a pension and...