The Age of the Self Employed

The current recession will have a lasting impact on all of us.   A lot of basic tenets many of us relied on have proven to be dead wrong.   One of the most damaging -  "buy and hold" has managed to decimate the portfolios of the investing public (mine included).    There are lots more.   One trend I foresee.  More people will be self-employed.   

There's a great article posted on the Daily Beast website that describes the new realities of work.   People no longer work for companies they do "gigs"- hopping from one opportunity to the next, selling their unique skill set.   My sense is that the ranks of the self-employed are going to mushroom over the next decade and companies that can figure out how to tap into this trend will profit.   

It's not just offering products and services that self employed people need, it's understanding their unique needs.  Unfortunately there is not much recent research on this segment.   My sense is that companies that tap into this segment will see tremendous improvements in productivity.   And those companies that figure out the unique needs of this group will experience significant growth.  

At the beginning of the decade many talked about the new generation of workers as free agents....bouncing from one company to the next.   Company loyalty suffered.   Motivating these free agent employees was tough.  Ironically, the self-employed might be an easier group to motivate because they want to secure their next "gig."   

I believe the era of the self-employed will usher in a new period of worker productivity.   Am I too optimistic?  

Best.  Brian.