Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS)
What is it measuring?
The Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS) estimates the number of American workers in contingent and alternative arrangements as their main job in the past week. Contingent arrangements are short-term or temporary jobs, which workers do not expect to last. Alternative arrangements are particular types of relationships between workers and the individual or company who pays them, including 1) independent contractors, 2) temporary help agency workers, 3) on-call workers, and 4) workers provided by contract firms. It also gathers information on demographics, industry, and access to benefits.
In 2017 and 2023, respondents were asked if they used online platforms to arrange jobs or tasks, either online or offline.
What does it tell us?
In 2023, 10.2 percent of the workforce were engaged in alternative arrangements as their main job, including 7.4 percent as independent contractors, 2.8 1.7 as on-call workers, and 0.5 percent as contract firm workers. 4.3 percent had contingent jobs, which they did not expect to last. There was some overlap between these two categories.
In 2017, 10.1 percent of the workforce was engaged in alternative arrangements as their main job, and 3.8 percent was engaged in contingent arrangements. There was slight overlap between the two categories. About 1 percent of the workforce used apps to arrange work.
In 2005, 10.7 percent of the workforce was engaged in an alternative arrangements as their main job in the past week. 4.1 percent of the workforce was engaged in a contingent work arrangement.
How is it collected?
The CWS is a supplement to the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) by the Census Bureau for BLS. The CPS in collected via telephone and in person among all non-institutionalized persons age 16 and over. About 60,000 households are sampled each month. The supplement was administered to a sample of respondents who reported working for pay in the past week.
Who collects it?
The CWS is administered by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Considerations
The CWS is one of the most rigorous studies of alternative work. However, it only asks about workers' main jobs—the job for which they worked the most hours—meaning it leaves out any supplemental or occasional work. In addition, it relies on workers correctly self-identifying their own employment arrangement.
How to access this data?
Data, when available, can be found on the BLS website.
Reports
Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements - May 2017; 2018; ; US Department of Labor;
Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements - July 2023; 2024; ; US Department of Labor;