One of the reasons that measures of the gig economy vary so much is because of the different definitions used. The chart below summarizes the definitions used by different datasets. You can find more detailed information on each of these sources, and links to the data itself, under Data Sources.
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|
BLS Contingent Worker Survey |
Upwork |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type of data |
Self-reported |
Administrative |
Self-reported |
Self-reported |
Administrative |
Self-reported |
|
|
Reference period |
Past week |
Past year |
Past month |
Past year |
Past 36 months |
Past year |
|
| How independent workers are identified |
Relies on work arrangements |
✔ |
|
|
✔ |
|
|
|
Relies on tax status |
|
✔ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Relies on nature of work |
|
|
✔ |
|
|
✔ |
|
| Arrangements and activities included |
Identifies specific employers |
|
|
|
|
✔ |
|
|
Includes primary work only |
✔ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Includes secondary or supplementary work (in addition to primary) |
|
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
|
Includes temp agency work |
✔ |
|
|
✔ |
|
✔ |
|
|
Includes on-call work |
✔ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Includes contract-company work |
✔ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Includes self-employed, freelancers, and/or independent contractors |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
|
Includes standard full-time work that has features of independent work |
|
|
|
|
|
✔ |
|
|
Includes platform-mediated AND work arranged in person |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
|
✔ |
|
|
Includes platform-mediated work ONLY |
|
|
|
|
✔ |
|
|
|
Includes informal work (unreported, under the table, off the books) |
|
|
✔ |
|
|
|
|
|
Includes some capital activities (selling/renting) as independent work |
|
|
✔ |
|
✔ |
✔ |
|
| Sampling |
Sampling population |
Population |
Tax filers |
Population |
Workforce |
Account holders |
Work-age population |
|
Sampling method |
Probability sample |
Random sample |
Probability-based online sample |
Reweighted online panel |
Saturation |
Targeted electronic sampling |
|
| Data source and publication |
Collected by |
BLS |
Dpt of Treasury |
Federal Reserve |
Edelman Intelligence |
JPMorgan Chase Institute |
McKinsey Global Institute |
|
Author |
|
Emilie Jackson, Adam Looney, and Shanthi Ramnath |
Barbara Robles and Marysol McGee |
Upwork, and Edelman Intelligence, formerly included Freelancer's Union |
Diana Farrell and Fiona Greig |
James Manyika et al. |