Free Agents Redefine The Workplace (NAPSA)—If you are searching for a job or looking for a career change, you may be surprised to discover that becoming a free agent is a growing trend. A new study by one of the nation’s leading staffing firms, Kelly Services, finds that 44 percent of employees now classify themselves as free agents and the shift is growing across several generational groups. A free agent is someone who consults, performs temporary or freelance work, or has his or her own business. A large percentage of free agents are highly skilled professionals with advanced degrees. Changes in the economy and the aging workforce played a big role in the increase of free agents. However, the Kelly Services 2011 Free Agent Survey found that 73 percent of free agents voluntarily chose that lifestyle because they were looking for more freedom and flexibility in their careers. That could explain why 38 percent of Generation X, 49 percent of baby boomers and 66 percent of the Silent Generation have made the move to free agency. Howskilled is this new workforce? The survey found that compared to traditional employees, more free agents had technical and professional skills and over one-third had an advanced degree. Career partners like Kelly Services offer a wide range of services to help employees start, advance and change their career paths by helping them secure assignments and handle muchof the paperwork associated with free agent work. To learn more about the free agent workforce, download the report “Free Agents: How ‘Knowledge Workers’ Are Redefining the Workplace” at http://bit.ly/r9QccY or the eBook “10 Things You Need to Know About Free Agents” at http://bit.ly/ppSTqv, or visit www.kellyservices.us.
