From the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship:
New Census Bureau figures confirm what many experts have long suspected. The US is in the midst of a major boom in self-employment.
2004 data show that 19.5 million Americans are self-employed, and their numbers are growing. Between 2003 and 2004, the number of self-employed grew by 1 million (about 4.7%). Overall, these businesses without employees account for 70% of all US businesses and generate annual receipts exceeding $887 billion.
E-Bay is clearly having an impact as electronic shopping and mail order houses are among the fastest growing sectors (up 12.7%) for new self-employment ventures. Even faster growth can be found among building finishing contractors (up 22.5%), Internet service providers (up 18.7%) and nail salons (up 14.7%).
The July 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report, Nonemployer Statistics 2004, can be accessed at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/ns0400a01.pdf.
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“70% of all US businesses are employee-free”… WOW. There’s something very beautiful about that stat.
And technology is making it easier and easier to create our own lifestyles and income streams. I expect that 70% to creep up every year until we’re a nation of self-employed dynamos, don’t you?
Thanks for the post, Karyn.
-Lani Voivod
Hi there! What are the best ways to promote a newly launched product online for free!!!??
The Labor Department just released December figures showing that the number of self-employed Americans rose by over 150,000 in December. If that rate continues, self-employment will certainly grow by more than 1 million people next year.
Laura Vanderkam, “Grindhopping: Build a Rewarding Career without Paying Your Dues” (McGraw-Hill)