What it Takes

摘要

According to Prudential Financial Inc., by 2030, "half of America will be self-employed" and working without benefits. This, the organization's television commercials say, is foreshadowed in Stonington, ME, a community of about 1,000 that depends on a lobster industry rooted in a long tradition of independence and myriad risks. Prudential invites the self-employed of Stonington and the United States of 2030 to "bring your challenges."Though U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that the projection of 50% self-employment is highly unlikely, Prudential's emphasis on financial risk strikes a different tone from the promises of free agency during the 1990s: Freed from the constraints of corporate tradition, bureaucratic structures and threats of downsizing, work could be satisfying, enhance human potential and even be fun.