Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

Exhibit A1
Methodology: Sizing the US independent workforce in 2015
SOURCE: BLS; Katz and Krueger; Freelancers Union; Kelly Services; McKinsey Global Institute analysis 
Method
Source
Sizing
Million
Temporary 
workers

% of people in alternative work 
arrangements 

Employed persons 

% of non-self-employed alternative workers

Katz & Krueger (2015)

BLS (2015)

Katz & Krueger (2015)
(15.8% 
x 148.8 persons) 
x 52.5%
= 
12.3
Self-employed 
persons

Unincorporated self-employed persons 
+ incorporated self-employed persons

BLS (2015)

BLS (2015)
9.1 + 5.8
= 
15.0
Primary 
independent 
workers

Temporary workers 
+ self-employed persons

See above

See above
12.3 + 15.0
= 
27.3
Total 
independent 
workers

Survey to determine total number of US 
freelancers

Freelancers Union 2015 
survey of 7,100 US 
working adults over age 18
54.0
Supplemental 
independent 
workers

Total independent workers 
- primary independent workers

See above

See above
54.0 - 27.3
= 
26.7
Independent work
Appendix
0928 mc

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102
McKinsey Global Institute
Appendix: Technical notes 
at the available Eurostat data on multiple jobholders (this share ranged from 1 to 5 percent 
of the working-age population). There are few independent studies on the size of the 
independent workforce in Europe. Kelly Services has estimated that 27 percent of European 
workers are independent, but its study does not look at the country level. In theory, 
subtracting out self-employment and temporary workers from this number should yield a 
rough estimate of the number of supplemental workers, but because those shares vary 
sharply across countries, it is difficult to rely on this approach at a country level. We therefore 
utilize the share of multiple jobholders within each country to triangulate.