Various studies show that at least 10% of the American working population (14.4. to 18.6 million) is self-employed. And thats increasing at approximately 5.7% annually.

Women and minorities (especially African-Americans and Hispanics) show even higher increases in self-employment, 5% and 10%, respectively, above the national average.

Middle age and older people are more likely to be self-employed than younger age groups. And the incidence of self-employment increases in direct proportion to educational attainment.

People in western states enjoy higher increases in self-employment, 1.8% above the national average.

Nevada, Arizona and Texas lead the way in the West. Georgia and Florida in the East are above the national average.

We believe that the de-industrialization of the USA, caused by the end of the 20th Century and its Industrial Revolution, has forced many seasoned, older workers to move from supposedly secure, lifelong employment into self-employment.

Moreover, we believe that many women and minorities ere sick and tired of waiting for significant employment opportunities, finding that self-employment is the true route to their prosperity and professional success.

Politicians dither and whine about the jobless recovery, since new job formation is statistically unimpressive.

But they are oblivious to permanent self-employment growth, incorrectly viewing self-employment as something to do between jobs.

These math-challenged officials dont get it.We are in an economic recovery thanks in large part to the big growth in permanent self-employment.

While the most recent self-employment boom is due to declining employment opportunity, we believe that another, even larger self-employment boom is underway, powered by Generation Xers using the Internet and, in many cases, advantageous direct selling and network marketing opportunities.

73% of Americans use the Internet. If you plan to succeed in any business today, employment or self- employment, you must learn to use the Internet well.

Generation Xers number 49.3 million. They are ages 28 to 39, although various analysts have slightly different age definitions of this group. All agree, though, that this population group is one step younger than the Baby Boomers.

Xers were the first to grow up with high divorce rates, computers, AIDS, latch key kids, legalized abortions, the dotcom bust, the end of the Cold War, and MTV. Theyre strong individualists, having a reluctance to conform.

They shop around before buying, using the Internet to gather information in most cases. They are very ethnically and racially diverse.

They were slandered as slackers years ago, since they appeared to lack the materialistic drive of Baby Boomers and the dull, plodding, conformist, corporate habits of the Silent Generation, born between 1925 to 1942, an older group than the Baby Boomers.

Data show that Xers are really not slackers, but an ambitious unbeholden generation, wanting to do things their waydiscarding the vocational paradigms of both the Baby Boomers and The Silent Generation.

Xersa $1.1 trillion consumer market--include marrieds (62%), minorities (37.9%), employed (81%), and admirers of their parents (51%).

They prefer small, economical cars, marry later in life, are very tech savvy (cell phones, computers, etc.), dislike hype and self-importance and hate hypocrisy.

Xers reject the core values of 20th Century corporate culture of job security by sucking up, lifelong employment at one company, unquestioning company loyalty, doing exactly what they were told, and bowing down meekly to dim-witted coneheads holding lofty corporate titles.

The sun is setting on lifetime employment. The sun is rising on self-employment. We are returning to the historical normalcy of self-employment. Except for the Industrial Revolution, self-employment has been historically normal. Lifelong employment really has been a wretched historical abberation.

Its very risky to be employed. Dell is doubling its staff in India. Wal-Mart is creating tons of jobs in China. GM, Delphi and the auto unions are ready to strike a deal to buy out unionized auto workers for up to $140,000. American employees, get the hint?

So much for secure employment. Todays employers dont bother use phony, upbeat platitudes like people make the difference. The new employee platitude for employees is, Hasta La Vista, Baby.

Dont wait until the ax falls. Plan now to be self-employed, then depart from the cubicle farm voluntarily at your convenience, not involuntarily at theirs.