Home Based Business

Home-based working in rural areas has historically been an important part of the rural economy. This trend has continued and is increasing, driven by a range of factors such as technological advances, property costs and the congestion experienced when commuting on many routes. 

Home-based working is significantly more common in rural areas than it is in urban areas, with the numbers of people working in this way continuing to rise. There is a strong correlation between home-based working and self-employment, with around 58% of those working from home in England also being self-employed (CRC 2005). Rural areas have a greater proportion of their economically active residents who are self-employed than urban areas (16% compared to 12%), with around 1 in 9 people in rural areas being classified in this way.

Despite the significance and obvious economic value of home-based working, there is a lack of analysis being undertaken with regard to home-working trends. This makes assessing the contribution of this work to the economy difficult to determine and also restrict the support which can be put in place to assist such businesses. This means that the value of these businesses and individuals to the rural economy is not always acknowledged, nor are the additional benefits such as employment and the devleopment of skills and training which they bring to rural communities.   

The increasing trend towards home-working not only reduces the need to travel, it may also increase the amount of time which people can spend on other activities. This can help to enhance the sustainability of the rural economy, through making rural communities less dependent on outside activities and forces. Unfortunately, there is currently very little recognition of the importance or significance of home-based working in rural areas and consequently very limited mainstream business support is offered to businesses of this type. Many of the issues surrounding the operation of businesses or work from home are not recognised or responded to, therefore, the benefits which rural areas may receive are not maximised.

Sussex Business Link carried out a review of Homeworking and Social Enterprise with contributions from AirS and Mr Roger Paterson, Chair of the West Sussex Rural Partnership  Click here to view Mr Patersons presentation.   Click here for the link to the Sussex Business Link Review information.  Click here for the link to the Home Based Business Research document.

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