Self-employment, in vocational psychology dictionary

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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

Self-Employment

Working for oneself. The economy has witnessed five trends that combine to increase both the number of individuals working for themselves even as an increasing number of individuals work for fewer and larger corporations. First, consolidation and mergers of large corporations, coupled with globalization of the job market, has resulted in a growing percentage of the work force that works for extremely large corporations. However, in the process of consolidation a large number of individuals who had worked for medium-sized corporations are layed off. Many of these workers are essentially forced out of the core-sector of the economy, and many with the means start up their own small businesses, often out of their home. Second, franchising has steadily continued to grow as a force in the economy; it creates many opportunities for workers to be their own bosses as they create new small businesses. Third, trends in technology-particularly the internet and labor-saving business applications-allow individuals to create businesses that can operate much more efficiently and to a potentially larger market than before. Fourth, even those who work for corporations often create small businesses on the side. Fifth, more women are creating their own businesses.

The irony is that historians have generally assumed that Jefferson's vision of an America peopled with small free-holders was unrealistic, given the growth of industry and corporations. The reality is that Jefferson's vision is increasingly the reality, albeit one removed from the third president's pastoral landscape.

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