Opinion
Our view: Jobs: Many are striking out on their own
The official employment reports that comes out each month continue to tell a grim story of escalating job losses.
From the June 18 release from the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development: "The Massachusetts unemployment rate rose from 8.0 percent in April to 8.2 percent in May, while the national unemployment rate rose from 8.9 percent in April to 9.4 percent in May, the highest rate since August 1983."
But as a new report from Salem State College's Enterprise Center points out, those releases don't tell about the positive developments seen here and elsewhere in the growth of sole proprietorships and micro-businesses (those with five or fewer employees).
Between 2001 and 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, there was actually a net gain in jobs here in Massachusetts if you count those who started their own businesses. The phenomenon was particularly pronounced in the north-of-Boston region, where sole proprietors now account for one of every four people working.
"Essex County is a poster child for a significant shift in how we work," according to Christine Sullivan, the director of the Enterprise Center and one of the leaders of the statewide creative economy movement. "Today, with just a desk and laptop, one can run a business from home that reachers around the world."
Indeed, many of those laid off from traditional jobs are finding new opportunity and greater reward in starting their own businesses.
It's imperative, Sullivan notes, for government and the financial community to support these new enterprises. An example: Last week's "Big Tweet" sponsored by the Creative Economy Association of the North Shore, which drew some 300 local business people to Endicott College to learn how to take advantage of Twitter and other social networking sites.
As Sullivan points out, we might have the next eBay or Twitter lurking right here on the North Shore.
- Opinion
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Letter: Salem market should only allow local farmers
To the editor:
I truly believed a local farmers' market, which Salem offers to the public on Thursday nights, would feature produce grown by our local, North Shore farmers, which I truly support.
I have been attending weekly the Salem Farmers' Market and have been extremely disappointed to see so many vendors with produce that looks like it comes off the produce shelf at one of our many supermarkets or might have been imported from God knows where. -
Nelson Benton: Some disappointed with Tierney stance on Israeli raid
Congressman John Tierney has ruffled feathers within the Jewish community locally with criticism of Israel for its May 31 attack on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid flotilla that left nine people dead.
The Salem Democrat has traditionally enjoyed broad support among Jewish voters in the district, but his failure to stand behind Israel on this particular matter has some resentful. -
Letter: Unique piece of church architecture threatened by wrecker's ball
To the editor:
After reading the recent front-page story headlined, "Court refuses to hear appeal over housing in church," I became very frustrated.
I believe the Boston Archdiocese and its contracting firm, the Planning Office of Urban Affairs, have once again caused much concern for artists whose main interests are focused upon preserving our ecclesiastical architecture in this historic city. -
Our View: SJC ruling could make for more work this winter
To the extent that it prevents property owners from evading responsibility for failing to take reasonable precautions following a snow or ice storm, this week's Supreme Judicial Court decision upholding a Peabody man's right to sue a chain department store in Danvers was a good thing. But given the legal minefield it creates, the ruling could also be a nightmare for businesses and homeowners.
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Our View: Race to the Top — Much effort, scant reward
There's something unseemly, and even a little unsettling, about this "Race to the Top" the White House has been conducting.
Having been spurned once before, Massachusetts is again a "finalist" in the competition, which promises millions of dollars in additional aid for the commonwealth's schools. - Letter: Another cause for concern
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Letter: Salem market should only allow local farmers
