Percentage of Self-Employed IT Workers Increasing 138
dcblogs writes "The tech industry is seeing a shift toward a more independent, contingent IT workforce. About 18% of all IT workers today are self-employed, according to an analysis by Emergent Research, a firm focused on small businesses trends. This independent IT workforce is growing at the rate of about 7% per year, which is faster than the overall growth rate for independent workers generally, at 5.5%. A separate analysis by research firm Computer Economics finds a similar trend. This year, contract workers make up 15% of a typical large organization's IT staff at the median. This is up from a median of just 6% in 2011, said Longwell. The last time there was a similar increase in contract workers was in 1998, during the dot.com boom and the run-up to Y2K remediation efforts."
my guess is that self-taught people are part (Score:5, Interesting)
It'd be interesting to see statistics, but my guess is that self-taught technologists are over-represented in the self-employed. Many companies make it harder to get hired if you don't have a degree when you're applying as an employee, but if you're an LLC doing contract work it goes through a different route and suddenly degrees aren't even in the equation.
Is that including "contracters"? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Another reason... (Score:4, Interesting)
True, but as you being the contractor on the other end of things, you can write off a LOT on your taxes, all work related mileage, you supplies, cell phones, internet...etc.
While it does give you a bit of paperwork to contend with, once you pass that first slightly high part of the learning curve, that part becomes regular rote actions with a little time.
Hire a CPA, and you're likely golden. Sure, its a bit more effort, but how much effort is worth keeping your hard earned money from the IRS as much as possible?
Re:No brainer (Score:3, Interesting)
"If you work for a salary, you're losing at capitalism."
If you work, you're losing at capitalism. Capitalism rewards capital.
Capitalism taxes capital less than it taxes labor, too. There's a reason it's not called "workism". Work is for chumps who didn't choose their parents well.