Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

part-time workers, and 6 million who are inactive.
GDP growth and median household income growth
Total and youth unemployment rate
% of labor force
6
4
0
-2
0
8
2
10
8
-3
1
-6
3
5
7
-4
-2
-1
2
4
6
12
16
14
2005
11
14 2015
10
07
13
09
06
12
08
GDP growth
% change, constant prices, 
2010 $
Median household 
income growth
%
25
20
15
10
5
0
06 07
2005
2015
10
09
08
13
11 12
14
EU youth
EU total
US youth
US total
GDP
$ trillion
14.41
15.01
16.55
250.8 million
working-age population
157.1 million
people in the labor force
20.0 million
people who want to work more
Last 5 years
Grew
Relatively 
flat
Fell
Key highlights
15.0 million
self-employed workers
% of working-age population
6%
8%
Compared to
12.3 million
temporary workers
% of working-age population
5%
6%
Compared to
7.3 million
workers with multiple jobs
% of working-age population
3%
2%
Compared to

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121
McKinsey Global Institute
Independent work: Choice, necessity, and the gig economy
31M
41–
59M
Supplemental
independent workers
Primary
independent
workers
1 McKinsey Global Institute survey of six countries (United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, France, and Spain) in June 2016 with 8,131 records.
2 An independent earner is someone who chooses how much and when to work, moves between jobs fluidly, and typically has multiple employers, 
assignments, or clients over the course of a year. They can include the self
‐
employed, independent contractors, freelancers, business owners, and temporary 
workers (including those assigned through temporary staffing agencies).
NOTE: Numbers may not sum due to rounding. 
SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis
MGI's survey shows that the independent workforce 
is larger than government statistics indicate
% of total working-age population; million
43%
(107M)
30%
(76M)
14%
(36M)
13%
(32M)
Total
working-age
population =
251M
68 million
people engaged in independent work
2
Casual earners are the largest group of 
independent earners
% of independent earners
Size of non-earning population is lower than government 
statistics  as the data above capture
▪
One year of income history
▪
Many sources of income that may be in informal economy
Independent workers report higher satisfaction 
than traditional workers
Many workers aspire to be independent 
in their primary job
4.6
4.3
4.3
4.9
6
3
5
4
2
1
Traditional
Traditional
Independents
Independents
By choice (primary work only)
Out of necessity
Current primary 
independent 
workers
Potential primary 
independent workers 
based on stated desire
By choice
Out of 
necessity
72%
28%
22 million
Free 
agents
32%
27 million
Casual 
earners
40%
10 million
Reluctants
14%
9 million
Financially 
strapped
14%
46%
54%
Primary
Supplemental
Scale from 1 (completely dissatisfied) 
to 6 (completely satisfied)