Number of self-employed people rose by 23,000 to 1.202 million in the first half of the year

The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic who earn their income through independent economic activity rose by 23,000 to 1.202 million in the first half of this year. Last year, the number of self-employed people, including private doctors, artists, and farmers, increased by 25,000. According to the administration’s data, the largest number of self-employed people is registered in Prague, with 229,000.

Although the number of self-employed people is at a record high, representatives of the business community and some experts have previously said that the current increase does not actually reflect greater entrepreneurial activity. To a large extent, they say, it is a result of the so-called false self-employment, in which people work as freelancers under a trade licence even though they could instead be employed by the company they work for.