In Barren Job Market, to Get a Job, Create One

New businesses are sprouting up across America as unemployed people running out of time and money decide that the only way to get a job is to create one, the New York Times reports. Economists say now is the time in the downturn cycle when "forced entrepreneurship" starts, and this time around, the Internet is making it easier for aspiring people to get their ideas—from web design services to jellyfish aquariums—off the ground.

The failure rate for small businesses is intimidatingly high even in boom times, but economists believe those who do succeed may be sowing the seeds for an eventual turnaround. That's because small businesses, collectively, employ a sizable chunk of the workforce. And corporate downsizing has left huge numbers of talented people available.
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