Comparing self-employment aspirants with the presently self-employed

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.