Lure of Entrepreneurism in Growing

Published: Jul 26, 2023 8:33 PM | By Frank Burtnett | Viewed: 2507
Category: Columns, Expert Advice | Tags: Jobs

EmInfo Reader: My colleagues and I are witnessing a growing interest in the workforce of individuals who would like the independence of self-employment and entrepreneurism. Is this a growing trend?

Dr. Burtnett: Your pulse-taking is accurate. A recent Pew Research Center study is reporting that more than six in ten self-employed workers stating they are extremely or very satisfied with their job and work, as compared with just half of their not self-employed counterparts. As this message is received by others, a growing number of individuals appear ready to face the risks of business ownership and either engage in a start-up or purchase an existing business.

Entrepreneurs have always been key players across the American economy, using their knowledge and skills set to contribute to the delivery of services and products on a smaller scale than the larger businesses and companies that once employed them.

Other findings of the Pew Study included:

1) Nearly half (48%) of self-employer workers report their contributions at work are valued a great deal, compared to a quarter of those who are self-employed.

2) Sixty percent of self-employed workers say their work can be performed home or remotely, compared with 32% who are not self-employed.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor estimates that 15 million U.S. workers are self-employed, making up about 10% of the U.S. workforce. Given these recent Pew findings, the number of workers wanting to be their own boss are likely to climb.

Learn more...

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/30/self-employed-people-in-the-us-are-more-likely-than-other-workers-to-be-highly-satisfied-with-their-jobs/

Written by

Frank Burtnett

Dr. Frank Burtnett is the former President of Education Now, an independent consulting firm headquartered in Springfield, Virginia and Rockport, Maine. Since 1995, he has served as the principal consultant to NAPS on certification, accreditation, credentialing and educational matters. He was recently elected to the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the professional development of search and staffing industry consultants. Frank is a counselor, educator, consultant, and author whose career has been dedicated to educational and career development issues, as well as service to the profession through management roles in professional counseling organizations. Today, he serves as an adjunct professor on the counselor education faculty of Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. His most recent publication, Career Challenges, examines the things people “do wrong” and “don’t do” in their quest for career satisfaction, work life after COVID and life–work balance. Two earlier youth and young-adult oriented guidebooks concentrated on the school-to-college and education-to-work transitions. Frank earned a BS in education at Shippensburg University and an MA and an EdD in counseling at George Washington University. Frank Burtnett invites career questions to answer in his new Q&A on EMinfo. Submit to Frank at ednow@aol.com His book Career Challenges was published by the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. You can order his book: Career Challenges here > https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475868081/Career-Challenges-Straight-Talk-about-Achieving-Success-in-the-Technology-Driven-Post-COVID-World-of-Work-3rd-Edition