Workers are increasingly choosing to take on gig work because of the flexibility and independence that gig employment offers.
According to an article by Small Biz Trends, this trend does not show signs of slowing down and statistics predict that 60% of the U.S. workforce will be independent workers by 2027. The article also estimates that by 2025, online platforms like LinkedIn and Uber could increase worldwide employment by 72 million, add $2.7 trillion to the global GDP and impact 10% of the global labor force through full-time employment or as supplemental income.
"Independent gig workers (such as online platform workers and independent contractors) experience high levels of work-life balance, flexibility, autonomy, meaningful feedback and creative freedom," a 2018 Gallup poll stated. "In fact, they score much higher on all these factors compared with traditional workers and other types of gig workers."
The poll also found that 64% of gig workers reported preferring their alternative work arrangement compared to traditional work.
According to MBO Partners, 59% of male gig workers and 74% of female freelancers say they enjoy working independently because of the flexibility this type of work offers. Freelance statistics show that the majority of independent workers aim to stay independent and that 54% of men and 43% of women earn more money working as freelancers.
Data from Statistica shows that approximately 57.3 million people worked freelance in the U.S. as of 2019, and by 2027 it is projected that there will be 86.5 million freelancers.
Forbes reports that in 2019, approximately 57 million gig workers in the U.S. were a part of the economy, which is more than one third, or 36%, of the U.S.'s population.
According to Wagedev, the gig economy grew by 33% in 2020 alone, and has doubled in the last six years, which is 8.25 times faster than the U.S. economy as a whole. Of those surveyed, 74% say they love having greater flexibility, 70% said they are paid more than their peers working traditional jobs and 58% reported having a better quality of life all while working less than 30 hours per week. Four of five companies also plan on hiring more gig workers post-pandemic with 50% stating they have already done so.
Approximately 75.7% of gig workers would not leave gig work if offered a full-time job, according to PYMNTS.
A survey by Bunny Studio in 2020 of 20% of Bunny Pro workers found that at the time of the article, 97% of freelance workers had planned for long-term gig work and 85% of the workers surveyed had been doing gig work for more than five years.
As of 2020, there were approximately 80,000 Uber drivers in New York City, according to a Curbed article. That number is likely higher now, but Uber was unable to respond to requests for the most recent driver numbers.