MGI’s survey provides the most detailed view available to date on who participates in
independent work, how they do it, and why they do it.
The results call into question many of the popular myths associated with independent work.
It is not dominated by footloose millennials, nor is it solely a story of low-income workers
trying to make ends meet. Independent earners span the full range of ages, skill levels,
and income brackets. Independent work is common in the construction trades, household
and personal services, and transportation. At the same time, it is preferred by many
professionals such as doctors, therapists, lawyers, accountants, designers, and writers.
Nor is independent work solely a US phenomenon fueled by Silicon Valley. Our survey
found a striking degree of similarity in the prevalence and profiles of independent earners
across Europe.
Even more important, our survey reveals that most independent workers go this route as a
matter of preference rather than necessity. Roughly 70 percent of primary and supplemental
independent workers across all six survey countries, or some 113 million people, are
independent by choice. Perhaps most notable of all, these same workers expressed a high
degree of personal satisfaction in the lifestyle, flexibility, and autonomy associated with
independent work.
Still, a smaller yet still substantial segment has turned to independent work out of necessity.
Some of them would prefer a good traditional job if they could find one, and some
supplemental earners wish they could make ends meet without picking up extra work on the
side. This issue has attracted a great deal of media coverage, raising the alarm that workers
are being forced out of good jobs and into low-wage, insecure arrangements, including
situations where they may be exploited. However, an increasing number of traditional
workers similarly face financial stress and a lack of job security, benefits, and career growth.
These issues are not confined to the independent workforce.
Against a backdrop of digitization, automation, and a painfully slow recovery from the
recent economic crisis, there is widespread anxiety about the quality of jobs that will be
available—and the shift toward independent work is often regarded with concern as a
result. But our survey not only shows that most people are independent by choice; it also
shows that many people would prefer to leave behind structured traditional jobs to pursue
the flexibility, satisfaction, and creativity of becoming their own boss. For many, the ability to
choose assignments and exert control over when and how they work is empowering. This
chapter will explore how various segments within the independent workforce feel about
their choices.
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