Numbers in Favour of the Self-employed

Self-employment is recently proving to be a major way of earning a living for most people in the fast changing economy. This dynamism in most economies has seen people of all ages turn to home based businesses as well as other opportunities. Some employed people seeking a second income, have done so by ‘moonlighting’ to meet their sophisticated daily demands.

The numbers of self-employed have been increasing gradually since the early 1990’s and are still noted in the present time. Currently the recession that has hit most world economies has witnessed massive lay-offs in businesses, hence an increased shift to self-employment.

Traditionally it is believed that to earn a living you must move out of your home to work but this is not the case in the current lifestyles. Information technology has created numerous home based businesses thus creating flexibility for anyone taking these second business opportunities. Lack of employment can be a thing of the past if only people consider this new trend of self-employment.

Daily commuting and traffic jams are stressful for any worker and can affect his or her performance at the work place and in their private lives. This is another factor that has seen some people resign from their prestigious jobs and be their own bosses in their homes. For employed mums, it’s even a nightmare: work related stress and the family demands after work opposed to the anticipated relaxation from their luxurious homes! Some women prefer to work from home so as to take care of their kids. Others take this home business opportunity to cut down the costs of office rent, transportation costs and time related costs.

The working population is also made up of people with disabilities. Besides their disabilities, they have to bear with daily hassles and bustles at their work places like any other normal person. Those who can’t bear this burden have opted to work from their homes to cater for their needs. Working from home saves them the problems encountered in commuting, accessibility in offices and use of some office equipment thus the increased numbers of the self-employed.

Retirement can prove to be a very stressful period for people who probably didn’t save enough in their prime years. Even in retirement, life needs not to stop.  Although some people have a retirement income, it may not fulfil all their needs. Some of their incomes may be too little. Apart from personal needs some retirees may have families who rely on them for their daily up keep. This challenge is a reason why retirees seek additional incomes through self-employment.

Self-employment is flexible since job switching is much easier and time saving compared to being employed. The modern world is fast changing and no one likes been outdated. Like for most young generation, they consider working from their basements as trendy thus attracting more and more of their colleagues.

With all these factors present, increase in numbers of self-employed will not be erased easily from those who have embraced these recent opportunities.