It’s only hours from Labor Day weekend and many are packing or finishing up their work “to do” list before beginning their long holiday weekend. Hopefully these next few days will be a small respite from the economy, hurricanes, power outages and the upcoming anniversary of 9/11.
The History Channel reports that, Labor Day was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day is an annual celebration of workers and their achievements and originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. As much as the American worker is struggling now, I don’t think too many of us would want to turn back the clocks to 1894.
I read an article this morning from The Atlantic about a new industrial revolution called the Freelance Surge. The article was written by by Sara Harowitz, the founder of Freelancers Union, a nonprofit organization representing the interests and concerns of the independent workforce. I found this article especially interesting when I realized that I am part of the Freelance Surge.
Here’s a small excerpt from the article and to read the entire article go to:
The Freelance Surge Is the Industrial Revolution of Our Time
By Sara Horowitz
It’s been called the Gig Economy, Freelance Nation, the Rise of the Creative Class, and the e-conomy, with the “e” standing for electronic, entrepreneurial, or perhaps eclectic. Everywhere we look, we can see the U.S. workforce undergoing a massive change. No longer do we work at the same company for 25 years, waiting for the gold watch, expecting the benefits and security that come with full-time employment. We’re no longer simply lawyers, or photographers, or writers. Instead, we’re part-time lawyers-cum- amateur photographers who write on the side.
Today, careers consist of piecing together various types of work, juggling multiple clients, learning to be marketing and accounting experts, and creating offices in bedrooms/coffee shops/coworking spaces. Independent workers abound. We call them freelancers, contractors, sole proprietors, consultants, temps, and the self-employed.
And, perhaps most surprisingly, many of them love it.
This transition is nothing less than a revolution. We haven’t seen a shift in the workforce this significant in almost 100 years when we transitioned from an agricultural to an industrial economy.
If you are also part of the Freelance Surge, please tell us a little bit about your experience. Do you love it? Do you have a home office or do you work out of a coffee shop? How many different jobs are you combining to create your Freelance Surge career? It’s a different world for sure, wonder what the workforce will look like in another 100 years.
For full excerpt, visit: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/the-freelance-surge-is-the-industrial-revolution-of-our-time/244229/
