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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

‘Forgotten’ Generation X Workers Turn to Self Employment

Today’s workplace is alienating Generation X and could be pushing them towards self-employment in the future, according to a new report on the state of play in 2017’s careers landscape.

Shipping solutions provider and franchisor World Options surveyed more than 650 people and found that Gen X risks becoming the ‘forgotten generation’, in-between Millennials and Baby Boomers, and is often overlooked in the workplace.

This could be contributing to a desire to go it alone, as, when asked where they would like to be career-wise in the next  five-to-ten years, a quarter of Gen X respondents (25%) said they would like to be working for themselves, which was higher than any other career option and a bigger percentage than any other demographic.

In response to the findings, World Options produced a comprehensive report on the various ways Gen X can approach self employment, with detailed case studies on franchising, consulting, retraining and other forms of working for yourself. 

Entitled, “Generation X: A Guide to Leaving the Rat Race behind and Working for Yourself”, the report is freely available to download via the World Options website.

Stewart Butler, sales director at World Options, said: “We designed the guide to be as practical as possible, offering a thorough and comprehensive look into the career avenues available to those Gen X workers who are ready to start a solo venture. It almost acts as a virtual career advisor, helping each reader to recognise their personal strengths and circumstances, and then ultimately decide on the best path to take them to the next level of their career.

“It was sad to see some of our survey respondents from the Gen X demographic claiming it is too late for them to start a new career once they reach their 40s. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth - it’s the perfect time to take all the knowledge you’ve amassed during years of work and put it into a vocation that you’re passionate about.”

The survey data from World Options also revealed that Gen X want a better work-life balance and are the first generation to push back against the notion of a career dominating a person’s life.

Some 62 per cent of Gen X respondents described ‘work-life balance’ as one of their top career goals, compared with just 40 per cent of Baby Boomers and 53 per cent of Millennials. 

This could explain why that age group are more inclined to establish their own business where they can dictate working hours, conditions and work-life balance.