As the number of self-employed workers drops, the nation's unemployment rate continues to increase. According to the Labor Department, the self-employed worked 15.5% less at the end of 2007, making this the largest decrease in 15 years.

One reason behind the drop is the "housing downturn," said economist Patrick Newport, "since one in six workers in construction is self-employed, twice the average for all industries."

Last quarter there were 365,000 fewer workers running their own businesses.

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