Back in 2008 we forecast that personal services would be one of the key small business growth sectors over the next decade. We described their appeal as:
Personal services firms ... provide life support services to increasingly harried, time-constrained consumers. Basically, these folks are paid to do things we used to do on our own, or did without.
Since then the personal services sector has boomed (and yes, we are patting ourselves on our back).
And according to trend spotting firm PSFK, the personal services industry will continue to boom. Their article Democratizing Access to Personal Helpers describes this trend as "always-on assistance". Key quote:
While the concept of hiring help is certainly nothing new, the proliferation of mobile devices and growing acceptance of the sharing economy have coalesced to democratize access to a dedicated network of helpers. What was once reserved for the wealthy has now become possible for the freelance writer, young professional, or middle class parents of the world.
Much of what is called "the on-demand economy" falls into the personal services sector. Everything from dog walking to food delivery to running errands can now easily and cheaply be outsourced to personal services companies.
While convenient for consumers, not everyone is happy with the growth of the personal services market.
Many believe the personal services sector is creating a new class of serfs - poorly paid workers with few rights, benefits or legal protections.
We're more positive about these jobs.
But regardless of what you think about this sector, it's going to continue growing rapidly for at least the next 3-5 years.
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