We have all read the headlines about the unemployment rate in this country holding steady in and around 9%.
Those statistics are indeed grim, if not downright depressing.
And to add insult to injury, job candidates these days are required more than ever to be currently employed in order to be considered for a job opening. According to Harry J. Holzer, an economist at Georgetown University and the Urban Institute, “It is really a buyer’s market for employers right now.”
Mr. Holzer added that one consequence of this new development is that the long-term unemployed will rack up even more weeks of unemployment and will find it harder to make the transition back to work.
Rather than get depressed about this situation, high skilled unemployed workers could use their time between jobs to start a small business.
I know, I know — I can hear all the objections now.
“It takes money to start a business and I’m underwater as it is.”
“I have no idea what business to start.”
“I don’t even know where to begin.”
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Given the choice between…
a. letting time pass while not having work and
b. exploring the opportunities out there for starting a business
…it seems that “b” not only makes more sense, but would also get more votes.
People start businesses in EVERY economy, good and bad. Money is made in EVERY economy, good and bad. In fact,
more businesses were started in the Great Depression than at any other time in our history.
With the latest stock market crash, the signs of a shifting economy could not be more visible. We ARE entering a new layer of recession, only this time, it’s going to be even more severe than the first layer we just passed through.
According to an article in the Fairfield (Connecticut) Minuteman News Center, “Self-owned businesses now make up about 80 percent of the GDP. Some experts contend that the success of small business owners will play a critical part in leading the country out of this economic crisis.”
High skilled unemployed workers have plenty of talents to draw on.
Will it be easy? Hell no.
And yes, there will be a learning curve when moving from employee to entrepreneur.
And yes, that move is not for everyone.
But given the alternatives?
Gone are the days when people had the luxury of waiting for the right thing to come along. The economy is forcing people who once believed there would always be a job out there for them to think about work differently.
For a good many, entrepreneurship may very well be the only lifeboat in these troubled waters.
What do you think? Are the times truly changing or is this current economic downturn a mere bother? Share your thoughts and pass along!
