(Sponsored Content —) The independent workforce saw a 34% increase in workers in 2021, a study by MBO Partners reports.
The 11th Annual State of Independence in America data highlights, released in August, found that the independent workforce rose from 38.2 million in 2020 to 51.1 million in 2021.
“The gig economy will most certainly continue to evolve with personal and family needs, technology, and available work,” a report by Marketplace-Edison Research states. “It will be beneficial to continue following the economic attitudes and concerns of gig economy workers, particularly those who depend on the gig economy as a primary income source.”
The increase includes workers for the ride-hailing service Uber, which had 3.9 million drivers in 2018, according to its website. Most Uber drivers say they enjoy their job working with the public and have few bad experiences in dealing with riders.
“Well, I’ve had like 10,000 rides altogether in the last two-something years, and I’ve probably had five unpleasant riders altogether,” Christian Soto, a part-time and full-time Uber driver, said. “I think they are in their own way or very unique. And I’ve had great conversations and also there's certain passages they don't like to be bothered and we respect that too, you know? But I think all of them that I’ve had, like I said, out of 10,000 maybe five or 10 have been unpleasant riders. The rest of them have been good.”
Transportation-based services and asset-sharing platforms are valued at nearly 90% of the entire gig economy, brodmin reports.
The 2018 Marketplace—Edison Research report found that 51% of gig workers said they work harder for their income than those who work a traditional job. It also found that 24% of Americans over the age of 18 earn income by working in the gig economy. More than 75% of gig workers said they would not leave gig work if offered a full-time job, according to PYMNTS.
Gig-economy statistics from 2020 provided by the MBO Partners show that 51% of the full-time independent workforce say they feel more financially secure than they would in traditional jobs. Financial security is one of the most important factors when it comes to employment, but job security and medical coverage are often big concerns for freelancers, MBO Partners reports.