public

Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS)

Shelly Steward — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 03:27:56 +0000

Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS) Shelly Steward Wed, 06/06/2018 - 23:27

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.

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.

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.

Study tags

independent contractors

Reports

Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements - May 2017; 2018; Bureau of Labor Statistics; US Department of Labor;

Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements - July 2023; 2024; Bureau of Labor Statistics; US Department of Labor;

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