Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

Other independent surveys find a wide range of estimates and use a variety 
of definitions
Given the shortcomings of government data, a number of organizations and researchers 
have made their own efforts to measure the independent workforce in the United States. 
Each source uses its own definition, however, yielding a wide range of estimates of its size 
(Exhibit 5).
At the low end of this range is an estimate from MBO Partners, which counts 40 million US 
“independents.”
26
 At the high end is the Freelancers Union, whose research finds 54 million 
US freelancers.
27
 Some studies have specifically attempted to identify the online share 
of the independent workforce in the United States; these estimates range from less than 
one million workers to ten million.
28
In Europe, there have been fewer private attempts to size the independent workforce. Kelly 
Services found that 27 percent of European workers were independent, which translates 
into roughly 47 million workers in the EU-15 countries.
29
26
 
State of independence in America
 reports, MBO Partners, 2011–16. 
27
 
Freelancing in America: 2015
, Freelancers Union and Upwork, October 2015.
28
  Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger, 
The rise and nature of alternative work arrangements in the United States, 
1995–2015
, March 2016; 
Paychecks, paydays, and the online platform economy: Big data on income 
volatility
, JPMorgan Chase Institute, February 2016.
29
  See data visualization from Kelly Services at kellyservices.visualise.today/.
Exhibit 5
SOURCE:  JP Morgan; Intuit; Katz & Krueger; Burson-Marsteller; Freelancers Union; BLS; Kelly Services; MBO Partners; McKinsey Global Institute analysis