Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

Exhibit 17
The independent workforce looks similar across the United States and the European survey countries
SOURCE:  BLS; Freelancers Union; Katz and Krueger; Kelly Services; MBO Partners; Eurostat; UK Labour Force Survey; Eurostat/US Census Bureau; OECD; 
McKinsey Global Institute analysis
1 Europe estimates use median equivalized net income in purchasing power standard; US estimates use real median household income. 
NOTE: Numbers may not sum due to rounding. 
United
States
United 
Kingdom Sweden Germany France
Spain
Economic
context
Working-age population
Million
251
52
8
70
52
39
Labor force participation rate
% of working-age population
62.7
62.7
64.8
60.2
56.1
58.8
Unemployment rate
% of labor force
5.3
5.3
7.4
4.6
10.4
22.1
Youth unemployment rate
% of youth labor force
11.6
14.6
20.4
7.2
24.7
48.3
GDP growth constant prices, 2010–15
Compound annual growth rate (%)
2.0
2.1
2.0
1.5
0.9
-0.2
Median household income, 2010–14
1
Compound annual growth rate (%)
0.1
1.6
3.0
2.3
2.1
-1.3