Some 60 per cent of self employed people report they are ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ with their work life, compared to 51 per cent of those employed by someone else, according to a survey of 2,000 workers by label printer company DYMO.

Almost a quarter of self employed say they are ‘unhappy’ with their current career, compared to just 13 per cent of those who are their own boss.

Trends expert and spokesman for DYMO, Barry Clark, says: ‘Working for yourself seems to be the ultimate dream, with many believing this is the way to being truly happy in your career. While there’s no denying it is hard work to set up your own company, it seems the satisfaction you get from being in charge of it yourself makes it all worthwhile.’

See also: Becoming self-employed – The benefits which most see from running their own businesses far outweigh the challenges