challenges

American Opportunity Survey

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 19:00:11 +0000

American Opportunity Survey ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 15:00

How is it collected?

Through an online survey conducted in spring 2022. There were 25,062 respondents, weighted to be more demographically representative.

Who collects it?

McKinsey Global Institute, the business and economics research arm of McKinsey.

What is it measuring?

McKinsey Global Institute's American Opportunity Survey focuses on economic obstacles and opportunities for people in the U.S. This survey asked about people's participation in contract, freelance, temporary, or gig work, along with demographics, outlook, and overall economic position.

What does it tell us?

36 percent of surveyed workers were engaged in contract, freelance, temporary, or gig work in some capacity. These workers tended to be younger and have lower incomes. Nearly half of all immigrants included in the survey were gig workers. Gig workers reported challenges accessing health insurance and basic needs like food, housing, and transportation.

In 2016, MGI conducted a different survey, which found that 27 percent of workers engaged in some form of gig work.

Considerations

Online surveys are not fully representative and may undercount those with lower incomes, less education, without internet access, and who are older, among other characteristics.

How to access this data?

Privately held by McKinsey Global Institute

Study tags

Reports

Independent Work: Choice, Necessity, and the Gig Economy Report; 2016; James Manyika, Susan Lund, Jacques Bughin, Kelsey Robinson, Jan Mischke, Deepa Mahajan; McKinsey Global Institute;

Freelance, Side Hustles, and Gigs; 2022; André Dua, Kweilin Ellingrud, Bryan Hancock, Ryan Luby, Anu Madgavkar, and Sarah Pemberton; McKinsey Global Institute;

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State of Independence in America

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 18:54:15 +0000

State of Independence in America ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 14:54

How is it collected?

Through an online survey administered by Emergent Research and Illuminas, with 6,575 respondents in 2024. Responses were weighted demographically to represent the population. 2024 was the 14th year the State of Independence survey has been administered.

Who collects it?

MBO Partners, a business services company marketed toward independent professionals, contracts Emergent Research and Illuminas to conduct the annual survey. Earlier iterations were contracted to Emergent Research and Rockbridge Associates.

What is it measuring?

The number of workers with "independent arrangements," including consultants, freelancers, contractors, temporary, and on-call workers. It also asks about their experiences and satisfaction.

What does it tell us?

In 2024, 72.7 million adults in America participated in independent arrangements - up only slightly from 72.1 million in 2023 - representing about 43 percent of the workforce both years. The survey reported consistent increases in its measure of independent arrangements from 2011 to 2019, before a considerable decline in 2020, which authors attributed to the pandemic-related disruptions. It has observed growth again from 2020 to 2023, leveling off last year.

Considerations

Online surveys are unlikely to be representative of the population, with educated and higher-income workers likely to be overrepresented. Although many consider full-time to mean 40 hours per week, this survey counts anything above 15 hours per week as full-time.

How to access this data?

Privately held by MBO Partners

Study tags

freelancers

independent contractors

Reports

The State of Independence in America Report; 2024; Emergent Research; MBO Partners;

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Gig Workers in America

ilrweb admin — Fri, 11 May 2018 18:52:57 +0000

Gig Workers in America ilrweb admin Fri, 05/11/2018 - 14:52

How is it collected?

This one-time survey was conducted in 2017, distributed to adults who had agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. 1,491 workers were surveyed, including 721 gig workers.

Who collects it?

Prudential commissioned Harris Poll to conduct the survey.

What is it measuring?

Income, access to benefits, and experiences of workers who provide service or labor and work for themselves.

What does it tell us?

Those who rely on gig work as their only source of income earn less and have less access to benefits than full-time traditional employees.

Considerations

Online panels are unlikely to be representative of the population. These findings point to interesting differences between gig only, supplemental gig, and traditional workers, but the data is not able to speak to the prevalence of these arrangements.

How to access this data?

Privately held by Prudential

Study tags

benefits

demographics

independent contractors

Reports

Gig Workers in America: Profiles, Mindsets, and Financial Wellness; 2017; Harris Poll; Prudential;

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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;