But there’s another statistic that’s even more troubling. It’s for underemployment. Underemployment describes those people who have jobs, but their jobs are lesser skill or experience level than they’re trained and qualified for… and definitely not sufficient to keep them out of the red financially.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, underemployment in November 2009 was at a 15-year high of 17.5%.

Many people who are underemployed seek out part-time or temporary work. Websites such as TempJobCity.com come to the aid of those people and helps them sort through their options and opportunities. Plus each city has a network for these types of opportunities. You just need to be creative about finding them.

Some people, finding that part-time or temporary work is insufficient to give them what they need, look to starting a business of their own.

Although the name of this website and my program is called From Unemployed To Self-Employed, it could as easily be called From UNDERemployed To Self-Employed. The information is the same. The lessons are the same. The process of starting a business is the same.

It’s simply a matter of deciding to start!

When I logged on to find out the weather for today’s parade on Broadway — the Yankees celebrating their World Series win — the news headlines were not only surprising, they were shocking.

Just yesterday, I remember reading several news reports on the great recovering Wall Street is making.

Today, however, the headlines center around the 190,000 new jobs lost in October. That takes the unemployment rate to 10.6% — the highest in 26 years.

There’s always some lack of agreement about the accuracy of numbers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may use a different definition of “unemployed” than the rest of the world. I guess that really doesn’t matter. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of people who are not working.

There’s another side to the unemployment crisis that people don’t seem to be talking about. That is the number of people who are under-employed as a result of the economy. Those who are under-employed accept positions below their skill and experience levels. Previously they might have held a position as a manager. Now, they’re working in a clerical position.

Because something is better than nothing… because they have no other options… and because competition for jobs is so stiff, those who are under-employed accept positions that pay them less than they were used to earning before the economy tumbled.

People in business have their own challenges. Business these days is tough. Sales are down. Expenses are up. But people in their own business have greater flexibility than those who are under-employed. A business owner can become more aggressive with sales, find new ways to operate more efficiently, open new territories, find new products and services to offer, and so on.

The person who is unemployed or under-employed is stuck — waiting for someone else to take the initiative.

Who is at greater risk? The person who is unemployed? The person who is under-employed? Or the person who is self-employed?

7 Key Indicators That You Have What It Takes To Kiss The Job Market Goodbye And Start Your Own Business!”

To view the press release at PRLog, click here.

To download a PDF of the press release, click here.

To request the free report itself, click here.

Franchises come in all sizes, shapes, and investment price points. A McDonald’s franchise costs thousands and then thousands more to build a restaurant, hire and train staff, and so on.

Some service-based franchises are available for under $25,000. (Go online to http://www.thefranchisemall.com/ and search for franchise opportunities under $25,000. You’ll find over 325. Or Google “franchises under $25,000.”)

The benefit to a franchise is that the work is done. Well, a lot of it is. The franchiser has developed systems, processes, and procedures to help you run the business on a day-to-day basis. They offer complete training and support once you’re up and running.

Plus, they’re regulated by the state where you live. So they need to be somewhat on the up and up about what they offer. They cannot… under any circumstance… predict or promise how much money you’ll make. But that doesn’t necessarily stop them from painting a pretty rosy picture (if you know what I mean).

The downside to franchises is that while they can teach you to measure windows for mini-blinds or coach business-owners, they don’t always teach you everything you need to know about how to be successful – that is, to run a truly profitable business.

Plus, realistically, you’ll probably need more than $25,000. As in the case of every new business startup, you need to cover your household overhead… and still have enough money to do whatever marketing or purchasing of inventory and materials the franchise requires.

Tread carefully.