online platforms

The Online Platform Economy

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 19:09:31 +0000

The Online Platform Economy ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 15:09

How is it collected?

Bank account records were completely anonymized prior to being released to JPMorgan Chase Institute researchers. Transaction histories from October 2012 to June 2021 were analyzed in order to track income from platform work, including its relationship to other income streams and expenses.

Who collects it?

JPMorgan Chase Institute, a think tank affiliated with JPMorgan Chase aimed at increasing understanding of the global economic system.

What is it measuring?

People's income from 128 different online platforms, extracted from JPMorgan Chase bank accounts. The most recent report focuses on the period between 2018 and 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Platforms are divided into four sectors: transportation work (rideshare and delivery), non-transportation work (including both in-person and virtual services), selling goods, and leasing assets.

What does it tell us?

Prior to the pandemic, participation on platforms had been growing steadily. The percentage of households who had earned income on platforms peaked at 2.5 percent in early 2020 before dropping to 1.9 percent shortly after the onset of the pandemic. By June 2021, participation had risen back to near-peak pre-pandemic levels.

During the pandemic, participation in transportation and leasing platform work dropped most significantly, while non-transportation work remained stable and selling platforms continued to grow. Compared to the general population, platform workers - particularly those involved in the transportation sector - were more likely to receive Unemployment Insurance under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

Considerations

The data are limited to JPMorgan Chase account holders, who are not fully representative of US workers; they are more likely to be men, to be between 25 and 54, live in the West, and have higher incomes than the average American. In addition, the reliance on account transactions means that hours worked and related expenses are unknowns, so information on earnings is limited.

How to access this data?

Privately held by JPMorgan Chase Institute

Study tags

Reports

The Online Platform Economy in 2018; 2018; Diana Farrell, Fiona Greig, Amar Hamoudi; JPMorgan Chase Institute;

Paychecks, Paydays, and the Online Platform Economy; 2016; Diana Farrell, Fiona Greig; JPMorgan Chase Institute;

The Online Platform Economy: Has Growth Peaked?; 2016; Diana Farrell, Fiona Greig; JPMorgan Chase Institute;

The Online Platform Economy through the Pandemic; 2021; Fiona Greig, Daniel M. Sullivan; JPMorgan Chase Institute;

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Survey of Household Economic Decisionmaking (SHED)

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 19:01:27 +0000

Survey of Household Economic Decisionmaking (SHED) ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 15:01

How is it collected?

The SHED, conducted annually since 2013, uses an online consumer research panel recruited based on address-based sampling. In 2024, 12,393 completed the survey, with a cumulative response rate of 4 percent.

Who collects it?

The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S., which maintains an active economic research agenda.

What is it measuring?

The Federal Reserve's Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) examines the economic well-being of American households, asking a range of questions about income, work, and spending.

From 2016 to 2021, the survey included a measure of participation in informal income-earning activities, or gig work. In 2022 and 2023, the survey did not ask about gig work directly, but did ask about irregular schedules and autonomy at work. The 2024 survey again asked about gig activities, defined as "activities that people did to earn money but that many people may think of differently than a traditional job." Examples given are selling items such as clothing or handmade crafts; renting property or a vehicle; and doing self-contained short-term tasks such as hanging pictures for someone, delivering takeout, or giving rides to people using an app.

What does it tell us?

In 2024, 20 percent of adults has participated in gig work in the past month. This includes 10 percent who sold things, 2 percent who offered short-term rentals, and 9 percent who performed short-term tasks. Four percent used apps to arrange tasks.

Only 21 percent of people who did gig work said it was their main job. An overwhelming 96 percent typically spent less than 35 hours per week on gig work.

In 2021, 16 percent of adults had participated in gig work in the past month.

Considerations

The questions about gig and informal work on the SHED have been somewhat inconsistent, but it remains a very helpful measure. It avoids jargon and confusing terms for respondents, often using examples, and is likely to catch types of work not reflected in other surveys. Many of the changes over time are rooted in authors' continued attempts to better understand how people think about gig work and respond to questions.

Some types of work typically considered non-standard, such as temp agency or subcontracted work, would not be counted.

How to access this data?

SHED data are publicly available from the Federal Reserve Board.

Study tags

Reports

Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2024; 2025; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022; 2023; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2021; 2022; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2020; 2021; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019; 2020; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2018; 2019; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2017; 2018; Consumer and Community Development Research Section; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

Exploring Online and Offline Informal Work: Findings from the Enterprising and Informal Work Activities (EIWA) Survey; 2016; Barbara Robles and Marysol McGee; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;

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Schedule SE/C Tax Returns

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 18:57:03 +0000

Schedule SE/C Tax Returns ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 14:57

How is it collected?

Findings are based on a sample of 2014 individual tax returns, including a 10-percent sample of individuals who file a Schedule SE or Schedule C, which are used to report self-employment income and sole-proprietorships, and a 1-percent sample of W2 wage earners without self-employment income.

Who collects it?

The Office of Tax Analysis of the U.S. Department of Treasury.

What is it measuring?

The number of workers with self-employment income.

What does it tell us?

In 2014, 12 percent of all tax filers with earnings filed returns reporting self-employment income or the operation of a nonfarm sole-proprietorship, up 32 percent since 2001. 0.7 percent filed a return reporting income from an online intermediary.

Considerations

This count includes only self-employed workers, and so excludes many other gig arrangements, like temp-agency, on-call, and contract-company work. In addition, although it considers comprehensively all tax returns filed, workers may not always be filing the appropriate forms. Replication of this count is needed to track trends over time.

How to access this data?

The full returns are not publicly available, but much administrative tax data is available via the IRS Tax Statistics page.

Study tags

independent contractors

online platforms

public

worker-side

Reports

The Rise of Alternative Work Arrangements: Evidence and Implications for Tax Filing and Benefit Coverage; 2017; Emilie Jackson, Adam Looney, and Shanthi Ramnath; Dpt of Treasury Office of Tax Analysis;

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Freelance Forward

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 18:51:25 +0000

Freelance Forward ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 14:51

How is it collected?

Through an online survey administered by Edelman Intelligence, with 3,000 total respondents including 1,142 freelancers. The sample was intended to be demographically representative.

Who collects it?

Upwork, an online freelancing platform, commissions Edelman Inteligence to conduct the survey.

This survey was known as Freelancing in America and collected in partnership with Freelancers Union, an advocacy organization for freelance workers, from 2014 to 2019.

What is it measuring?

This survey counts the number of workers who engaged in any supplemental, temporary, project- or contract-based work at any point in the past 12 months. It also asks a wide range of questions about the outlooks, experiences, satisfaction, and challenges of these workers.

What does it tell us?

In 2023, 38 percent of workers engaged in freelance work in some capacity, representing 64 million people. Since the first iteration of the survey in 2014, this has increased modestly from 34 percent.

Considerations

The survey has a particularly broad time frame for engagement in independent work, including any activity that has been done in the past year. It also includes some vague questions, leaving respondents to rely on their own interpretations of terms like "full-time." Online surveys, in addition, are unlikely to be fully representative of the population.

How to access this data?

Privately held by Upwork.

Study tags

benefits

demographics

freelancers

independent contractors

Reports

Freelance Forward 2023; 2023; Upwork Research Institute; Upwork;

Freelance Forward 2022; 2022; Upwork; Upwork;

Freelancing in America: 2019; 2019; Edelman Intelligence; Freelancers Union and Upwork;

Online Income Positions

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 18:46:57 +0000

Online Income Positions ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 14:46

How is it collected?

Through a survey of Internet Association’s (IA) member companies, along with publicly available resources from those companies.

Who collects it?

The Internet Association, a trade association of Internet-based companies.

What is it measuring?

The number of accounts ("online income positions," or OIPs) held by workers on Internet Association member platforms.

What does it tell us?

As of 2017, there were approximately 23.9 million Online Internet Positions.

Considerations

Many workers hold accounts on multiple platforms, and so this measure does not tell us the number of workers using these platforms. In addition, it does not account for how active accounts are; many accounts may not be in use.

Although the one-time data point is no longer accurate, it represents a unique approach to measurement and the potential for companies to share data.

How to access this data?

Privately held by the Internet Association.

Study tags

Reports

America's Online 'Jobs': Conceptualizations, Measurements, and Influencing Factors; 2017; Christopher Hooton; Business Economics;

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