Self-employment: national trend shows decline.

• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

According to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 1.3 million fewer unincorporated self-employed people in 2012 on average than in 1948. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau jointly sponsor the Current Population Survey, which compiles, among other things, industry and demographic data on self-employed workers.

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The Current Population Survey shows self-employment as most prominent in agricultural, construction, and services industries. Workers with less education than a high school diploma were the most likely to be self-employed and those with an associate's degree were the least likely.

Business owners, recorded as incorporated self-employed, are legally considered employees of their own businesses and are accounted for in the Bureau of Labor Statistics data beginning in the year 2000. Incorporated self-employment shows a 17.8 percent growth from 2000 to 2012, which accounts for all self-employment growth from 2000 and 2012 as unincorporated employment decreased by 6.7 percent...