"Work, Entrepreneurship, and Opportunity in 21st Century America"
No author cited
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, May 2006
In growing numbers, workers are taking advantage of flex time, telecommuting, independent contracting, and small business ownership. And, as this U.S. Chamber of Commerce report points out, these alternative work arrangements are beneficial to workers and employers alike – particularly to small businesses.
The report chronicles the rise of an entrepreneurial workforce that has turned away from traditional employment and work schedules in favor of a broad range of alternatives. Workers are seeking arrangements that offer greater income potential, more flexible work schedules, and a better balance between career and family.
It documents the substantial growth that is occurring in some segments of the entrepreneurial workforce, particularly independent contracting and small business startups. And it cites government estimates of the numbers of Americans in alternative work arrangements: 25 million part-time workers, 20 million telecommuters, 17 million Americans engaged in direct selling, 10.2 million self-employed, and 24 million small businesses – 18 million of which are sole proprietorships with no employees.
Americans are choosing these arrangements in spite of the fact that unemployment remains low and traditional employment remains strong. In fact, the report finds that more Americans are working in traditional arrangements than ever before.
Entrepreneurship and the independence that come with being one's own boss remain our country's distinct advantage. Small business entrepreneurs need flexibility, especially in the use of their own labor and access to others to succeed. Nearly all experts agree that the United States enjoys far more growth and has less than half the unemployment of France and Germany because those countries are burdened by rigid labor markets and overregulation.
However, the growth of the entrepreneurial workforce has triggered attacks from some union leaders, trial lawyers, and others who oppose flexible workplace rules. Those who resist the trend toward an entrepreneurial workforce will hurt, not help, our workers and our economy. The better approach is to help Americans seize new economic opportunities by modernizing outmoded rules designed for an earlier economic era.
