1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Based on the ’push’ and ’pull’ explanations, we examine the different reasons why self-employment is attractive for IT professionals, the advantages they experience and the drawbacks they point out.» (p.162)

Questions/Hypothèses :
Is self-employement attractive for IT workers because it facilitates work-life balance?

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
116 membres de l’Association Québécoise des Informaticiennes et Informaticiens Indépendants.

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«This article deals with the reasons why IT professionals chose self-employment, as well as advantages and drawbacks of this form of employment. A growing number of workers in industrialized countries are now self-employed, most notably in the IT sector. In order to understand this trend better, we carried out a quantitative survey in collaboration with a professional association of independent IT workers in Quebec (Canada). We examined the different reasons why self-employment is attractive for IT professionals, the advantages they experience and the disadvantages they point out. While some authors postulate that self-employment is attractive because it facilitates work-life balance, our results show a strong predominance of the financial advantages and a weak impact of factors related to work-life balance. We also find high levels of job satisfaction, but the effects on work-life balance remain indirect.» (p.161)