Watch the video from the Office for National Statistics about the increase in the self-employed – inevitably many of them in construction. It explains why unemployment has not risen during the recession, but also why GDP and productivity (money earned per hour worked) have fallen.

Video summary:

• The number of workers who are self-employed in their main job rose 367,000 between 2008, the start of the economic downturn, and 2012
• 60% of the increase in self-employed workers occurred between 2011 and 2012
• 84% of the increase in self-employed workers since 2008 was for those aged 50 and above

In 2012:

• Self-employed people worked longer hours than employees – on average 38 hours a week compared with 36 for employees
• Self-employed workers tended to be older than employees and were more likely to be male
• The four most common occupations for self-employment were taxi or cab drivers, ‘other' construction trades, carpenters & joiners, and farmers
• The proportion of workers who were self-employed was highest in London (18%), while the lowest proportion was in the North East (11%)