British entrepreneurship appears to be on the rise, with tens of thousands of new businesses popping up. The problem, for workers, is that these startups are increasingly using artificial intelligence and freelancers instead of taking on permanent staff.

New firms launched in the UK last year generated an average of 2.7 jobs each, around one fewer than when records began in 2017, according to a Bloomberg analysis of official data. Total employment created by new enterprises fell 16% to the lowest level on record.