Comparing self-employment aspirants with the presently self-employed

Abstract

This paper examines differences between the presently self-employed (SE Present; n = 727: Business Owners = 249; independents = 478) with organizationally employed individuals who intend to become self-employed (SE Aspirants; n = 538) using the National Study for the Changing Workforce. We tested 11 hypotheses derived from the job demands-resources and conservation of resources theories. The strongest differences between SE Present and SE Aspirants were autonomy, hours worked, turnover intentions, and work interfering with family. No significant gender differences were found. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

En s'appuyant sur l'étude nationale sur l'évolution de la main-d'œuvre, cet article examine les différences entre des travailleurs actuellement auto-employés (total = 727: propriétaires d'entreprise = 249; travailleurs indépendants = 478) et des personnes employées dans des structures organisées qui aspirent à devenir des travailleurs indépendants (n = 538). Nous avons éprouvé onze hypothèses émergeant des théories des Job Demands-Resources (JDR) et de la conservation des ressources.

Révélée par l'étude, les différences les plus marquées entre les travailleurs actuellement auto-employés et les personnes aspirant à le devenir concernent l'autonomie, le nombre d'heures travaillées, les intentions de turnover et les interférences du travail sur la famille. Aucune différence significative n'a été constatée en ce qui concerne le genre. Les implications et les directions pour les futures recherches sont discutées.

Keywords:

• self-employment
• autonomy
• work-family
• entrepreneurship

Mots-clés:

• auto-emploi
• autonomie
• travail-famille
• entrepreneuriat

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicholas J. Beutell

Nicholas J. Beutell is a professor of management in Hagan School of Business, Iona College, New Rochelle, NY, USA. His research interests include the work-family interface, retirement, self-employment/entrepreneurship, and life satisfaction.

Joy A. Schneer

Joy A. Schneer is a professor in Department of Management Chair, College of Business Administration, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA. Her work focuses on the effects of employment gaps and family structure on career success and she is currently investigating late stages of career and retirement intentions.

Jeffrey W. Alstete

Jeffrey W. Alstete is a professor of management and business administration in the Hagan School of Business, Iona College, New Rochelle, NY, USA. His research interests include entrepreneurship, small business management, knowledge management, business strategy, and higher education.