Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

Exhibit 16
In your work life, how 
satisfied are you with
1
By choice
By necessity
Traditional 
by choice
Mean rating
3
(n = 2,594)
4
Independent by choice
Compared to traditional
2
Traditional 
by necessity
Mean rating
3
(n = 774)
4
Independent 
by necessity
Compared to 
traditional
(n = 637)
4
Free agents
(n = 668)
4
Casual earners
(n = 772)
4
The topics/activities you 
are working on
4.60
+0.24
+0.00
4.32
+0.21
Overall work life
4.58
+0.28 
+0.01 
4.30
+0.02
The number of hours you 
work
4.52
+0.20 
+0.08 
4.34
-0.16
Independence in your 
work life
4.49
+0.52 
+0.15 
4.33
+0.19
The atmosphere at your 
workplace
4.46
+0.47 
+0.15 
4.26
+0.25
Your boss
4.40
+0.51 
+0.15 
4.21
+0.15
Your level of 
empowerment
4.34
+0.45 
+0.05 
4.06
+0.16
The creativity you can 
express at work
4.33
+0.44 
+0.01 
4.08
+0.17
Your income security
4.33
-0.10
-0.09
4.10
-0.24
Your benefits (e.g., 
health care)
4.31
+0.01 
-0.04
3.99
-0.12
Your ability to choose 
your working hours
4.31
+0.69 
+0.28 
4.16
+0.23
Your opportunities to 
learn, grow, and develop
4.24
+0.42 
+0.11 
4.06
+0.07
Flexibility regarding 
where you work
4.20
+0.70 
+0.22 
4.13
+0.21
Recognition you receive
4.13
+0.42 
+0.10 
3.91
+0.17
Your level of income
4.01
+0.16 
+0.00
3.89
-0.29
Independent workers report higher levels of satisfaction on many aspects of their work life than traditional workers
SOURCE: McKinsey Global Institute analysis 
1 Question asked: “How satisfied are you with your current overall work life?” Select from a 6-point scale. “In your work life, how satisfied are you with [attribute 
listed]?” Select from a 6-point scale.
2 Free agents and casual earners are compared to traditional workers by choice, independent by necessity to traditional by necessity.
3 Weighted average of satisfaction scale: 6 = completely satisfied, 5 = mostly satisfied, ..., 1 = completely dissatisfied.
4 Total unweighted number of respondents. Not all respondents answered all of the subquestions.
Satisfaction scores from MGI survey (95% confidence)
Scale of 1-6 
6 = Completely satisfied
1 = Completely dissatisfied
Satisfaction 
higher than 
traditional 
workers
Satisfaction not 
significantly 
different
Satisfaction 
lower than 
traditional 
workers

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57
McKinsey Global Institute
Independent work: Choice, necessity, and the gig economy
While comparing those who do independent work out of necessity with those doing 
traditional work out of necessity reveals similar levels of satisfaction overall, independent 
workers still scored higher on some dimensions such as flexibility of working hours and 
location as well as the topics and activities they are working on. But they are notably 
less happy with their level of income and their income security than their counterparts in 
traditional jobs. As we discuss below, our survey finds that those in independent work out 
of necessity are almost twice as likely to come from low-income households as traditional 
workers who would prefer independent work. 
Altogether, our findings on satisfaction are consistent with existing research. Benz and Frey 
similarly found that self-employed workers are substantially more satisfied than traditional 
employees and that this effect is consistent across a wide range of geographies. Moreover, 
their analysis shows that the most important drivers of this difference were the increased 
autonomy independent workers enjoy and the fact that they tend to find the work they do 
more interesting.
48
 
The comparable satisfaction of independent workers on the question of benefits is 
surprising, since this is an area where independent workers would appear to be at a 
disadvantage. In the United States, it is not clear whether these responses stem from 
low expectations, improved access to health insurance since the introduction of the 
Affordable Care Act, or poor or eroding benefits for traditional employees that lessen 
the trade-offs involved. In Europe, the similarity is less surprising, since most countries 
offer state-sponsored health-care and retirement benefits. Another factor could be 
that some independent workers are simply risk-takers by nature who are less prone to 
worrying about safety nets and future savings. It is also possible that the responses to this 
particular question, along with respondents’ satisfaction with their boss, could suffer from 
non-response bias due to the fact that a higher percentage of the independent workers 
(approximately one in six) said the question did not apply to them.
Comparing free agents to traditional workers by choice shows that the positive effect of 
independence is consistent between the United States and Europe. For the necessity 
groups, there are some variations but they are mostly not statistically significant—and for 
those that are, the relative satisfaction levels hold across Europe and the United States. One 
interesting thing to note is that within the two groups of workers motivated by economic 
necessity, independence has a stronger negative effect on income security in Europe than 
in the United States, but the negative impact on satisfaction with the actual level of income is 
larger in the United Sates.