2022/01/24 by Sjanne Marie Elyse Van Den Groenendaal, Sjanne Marie E. van den Groenendaal, Jos Akkermans +5 · 55 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Career development #Career management #Context (archaeology) #Digital Economy and Work Transformation #Economic growth #Economics #Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences #Geography #Happiness #Innovation, Technology, and Society #Political science #Productivity #Psychology #Public relations #Social psychology #Sociology #Sustainability
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103692
published in Journal of Vocational Behavior 134, 103692 (Elsevier BV)
openalex publication_date 2022/01/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Contemporary labor markets are characterized by rapidly growing numbers of solo self-employed workers who have their own businesses without employing employees. However, research on solo self-employment has almost exclusively focused on the decision to move into self-employment, thereby failing to consider the long-term career consequences of being solo self-employed. To complement existing research, we examined patterns of career self-management strategies among the solo self-employed in light of their career sustainability and enablers and barriers in their unique work context. We conducted 102 interviews among a heterogeneous sample of Dutch solo self-employed workers and identified four career self-management patterns: proactive crafters, adaptive crafters, survivors, and passive balancers. We found differences in their career sustainability (i.e., happiness, health, and productivity). Specifically, their happiness is overall sufficient while the level of productivity is mixed, and their health seems to be most problematic. This study contributes to the nascent scholarly literature on solo self-employment and career sustainability. Policymakers can use our findings to promote sustainable careers among the solo self-employed.