Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

participate in it, and assessing how digital platforms might change the game. 
WHAT IS INDEPENDENT WORK? 
In advanced economies, the majority of workers continue to occupy what we refer to 
as traditional jobs—that is, they are full-time or part-time employees who have ongoing 
relationships with a single employer. Because this has been the predominant employment 
arrangement in advanced economies for decades, it has also been the major focus of labor 
market and economic policies.
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 But many other types of work arrangements are possible. 
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  Independent work is widespread in emerging economies as well, but in those countries, much of the 
workforce has long been self-employed or outside traditional jobs, and the trend is toward adding more formal 
jobs. This report instead focuses on advanced economies where traditional jobs have long been the norm but 
now the pendulum may be beginning to swing the other way.