Overview
The “gig economy,” the market where companies rely on contract and temporary workers instead of full-time employees, is firmly entrenched in the overall national market. As recently as 2020 it is estimated that 36% of the US labor force participated in gig work of some sort, and the proportion is expected to eclipse 50% this year.
Gig work isn’t new. Companies have always relied on independent contractors or freelancers of some sort to plug gaps in their regular workforce or meet surges in the demand for labor. Online software and the digital economy have allowed the white-collar market to hire remote workers as easily as other trades have hired day laborers for centuries.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a market-changing accelerant for both gig and full-time remote work. Companies learned how to manage entire organizations remotely, and workers have come to expect that flexibility will continue. While some workers will use gig work to supplement their full-time income, others have switched to freelancing full-time.
