It's Getting Harder to Be Self-Employed

Dec 19, 2011
KC Morgan

More competition makes for fewer opportunities in self-employment. - Falling Dominoes - samlevan

Unemployed workers are turning to self-employment to make money, leading to increased competition and scarce work at home opportunities.

It’s getting harder to be self-employed as more out-of-work professionals are turning toward work at home and other opportunities to earn income. The trend is being felt globally, not just in the U.S., making it difficult -- even impossible -- for independent professionals to find new self-employment jobs.

It’s Raining Self-Employed Men and Women

In the UK, the number of self-employed professionals is the highest it’s been since the Office for National Statistics began compiling data. Tens of thousands have turned to self-employment in a matter of months, bringing the total up to 4 million in the United Kingdom alone.

In the United States, more than 80,000 professionals became self-employed in the month of November 2011 alone. With traditional employment opportunities still scarce, many are desperate to find ways to make money just to make ends meet. It’s not surprising that they should begin exploring new opportunities, hunting for work at home jobs and starting home-based businesses they may have never formed otherwise. With the end of the year approaching and little hope in sight, professionals are struggling just to make ends meet, and the future remains uncertain. Self-employment provides a viable answer to many of these problems.

But, the trend certainly makes things difficult for the millions of professionals who have been active in self-employment for many years. As more professionals flood online job boards and selling sites, fewer opportunities become available for home-based and self-employed workers who have not worked in traditional job environments for years. More interest in self-employment leads to more competition in self-employment -- and that equals fewer opportunities for all.

Create Self-Employment Opportunities

It’s always a good idea to peruse self-employment job boards for work at home jobs and opportunities, but it’s a terrible idea to count on these sites alone to make money. Professionals have to find ways to create their own self-employment opportunities, especially when competition for jobs is stiff.

Create a blog. Google’s new search algorithm is making it much easier for independent writers to get good placement among search results. Focus on creating posts around popular keywords and search topics, and write original content, to draw web traffic. Make money with the blog by adding advertising to pages.
Follow the money. Some people still have plenty of money to spend even during recession, and they may be hiring. Big corporations are continuously looking for work at home professionals to perform data entry, customer service, tech support and other tasks that can be performed remotely. Visit these companies directly to find opportunities. Staffing companies that specialize in self-employment and work at home may also have job opportunities for self-employed professionals.
Look locally. Finding jobs online is difficult because hundreds, maybe even thousands, of professionals are competing for those same opportunities. Look to local businesses and professionals to find potential opportunities. Advertise in the phone book, hang up flyers and spread the word about services and products to draw in local customers and clients.

An old saying tells us that necessity is the mother of invention. If that’s true, the self-employed have a great opportunity to exercise their creativity and start making money in brand-new ways. Competition can be healthy, even in job markets, and it can open new doors and lead to new jobs that may not have been discovered otherwise.