Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

Digital platforms create efficient online marketplaces for individual services 
SOURCE: New York City Economic Development Corporation; Shaheen and Chan, 
App-based, on-demand ride services: Comparing taxi and ridesourcing 
trips and user characteristics in San Francisco
; American Staffing Association; McKinsey Global Institute analysis
From
To
Larger scale
>13,000 
taxi cabs
in New York, 
operated by ~42,000 drivers
>1.4 million 
cars in New York that 
can offer rides 
via Uber
Faster matching
<40% 
of San Francisco taxi riders
picked up in <10 minutes on weekdays 
and fewer on weekends
90% 
of San Francisco ride-sharing 
customers
picked up in <10 minutes at 
any time of the week
Lower entry costs
10-day 
minimum 
to get started as a 
taxi driver in San Francisco
Less than
1 day 
and less than $200 to 
get started as an Uber driver in San 
Francisco
Richer information signals
70% 
of freelancers 
experience non-
payment or delays in getting paid
Seamless online payment
; ratings 
systems for workers and employers to flag 
bad behavior