A full-time job with one employer has been considered the norm for decades, but the number of people identifying as independent workers continues to increase.

Answer: 36%

Questions:

• What are examples of jobs that are gig, freelance, or temporary work? 
• Would you ever consider gig, freelance, or temporary work? Describe the type of role that you would be interested in. 
• Independent workers report higher economic anxiety than full-time workers. Why do you think this is the case? 

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Behind the numbers (McKinsey):

"In the working world, a full-time job with one employer has been considered the norm for decades, but this model fails to describe how a significant share of the U.S. workforce makes a living. In the latest iteration of McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey (AOS), a remarkable 36 percent of employed respondents—equivalent to 58 million Americans when extrapolated from the representative sample—identify as independent workers. This figure represents a notable increase since we estimated the U.S. independent workforce in 2016 at 27 percent of the employed population.

Independent workers perform many types of jobs, including working a short-term placement through a temporary agency, tutoring, driving passengers, delivering food or other products, short-term renting personal property, creative jobs such as acting or writing, and substitute teaching. In our survey, we counted anyone who identified as a contract, freelance, temporary, or gig worker as an independent worker.1 In some cases, respondents hold full-time jobs but also engage in a “side hustle."

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Want to experience what it's like to have one of the more popular gig economy jobs? Find out with this Uber driver simulation. 

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About the Author

Mason Butts

After graduating from UCLA with a Master's in Education, Mason spent 5 years as a science educator in a South Los Angeles public high school. He is committed to supporting the holistic growth of all students and empowering them to live a life of relational, academic, and financial success. Now settled in the Bay Area, Mason enjoys facilitating professional developments and partnering with educators as they prepare students for a bright financial future. When Mason is not building curriculum or planning a training, he can be found cycling, trying new foods, and exploring the outdoors.