Self-employment on the rise for tech professionals: is this a good thing?

The article argues that self-employment and contract work are becoming more common in IT because organizations want to bring in skills quickly, cut fixed costs, and stay flexible. It connects that trend to cloud systems, new databases, frameworks, and mobile technologies, which make it hard for companies to keep every needed skill in-house.

It also presents the case for tech workers, saying contract work can offer variety, independence, and a way to build a more entrepreneurial career. At the same time, it notes concerns that contracting can reduce meaningful employment opportunities and may conflict with employment rules.

Reading notes

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• 18% of IT workers are self-employed, and that number is growing by 7% a year according to Emergent Research.
• Computer Economics estimates self-employed IT workers at 15% in larger enterprises, up from 6% in 2011.
• Contract IT labor helps organizations bring in needed skills on short notice and shift from fixed costs to variable costs.
• Cloud applications, cloud services, NoSQL, Hadoop, and mobile technologies increase the need for specialized skills.
• Companies may need dynamic teams and contractors that can be assembled and then stood down as business needs change.
• Some argue that contracting reduces meaningful employment opportunities and can raise regulatory problems.
• For professionals, contract work can mean more independence, more variety, and possibly more job security than a single full-time job.
• An IT contractor can work with several clients at once, so one ending project does not necessarily end all work.
• Lower-cost online tools and platforms make it easier for an IT professional to start a practice or business.