According to Kingston University, 58% of freelancers describe themselves as full time but 163,000 people carry out some form of freelance role in addition to working in another main job.
John Kitching, co-author of the report, said: "Freelancers play an important role in the UK economy both in their numbers, their contribution to business turnover and in the range of activities they perform."
Number of freelance staff is rising steadily
There has been a growth of 14% in freelance staff since 1998, putting the current number in the UK at 1.4 million.
