Two interesting articles in the media yesterday on the growing contingent workforce. The NY Times Entrepreneur or Unemployed is an op-ed piece by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.
It covers the shift to self-employment and although he doesn't use the term, the growth of necessity-pureness - people who turn to self-employment because they can't find a job.
Reich is one of the deepest thinkers around on the social impacts of changes in work and the economy. His book Supercapitalism is the most insightful description of the economic changes of the last few decades I've read.
CNN/Money also weighed in with Say Goodbye to Full Time Jobs With Benefits, which covers the shift to employers hiring temps, freelances, contractors, part-timers and other form of non-full time, non-permanent employees.
The growth of the contingent workforce will continue. The CNN article says roughly 30% of the U.S. workforce is currently contingent and this will likely grow to 40-45% by 2020. We agree.
However you feel about increasing numbers of self-employed and the shift to contingent workers (the two articles are not real positive), one impact will likely be growing interest in coworking.
We cover this topic from a broader small business point of view on our Smallbizlabs blog.
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