Gig Economy

The gig economy has rapidly transformed the way millions of Americans work

Rooted in flexibility and on-demand, project-based jobs, it provides opportunities for both side hustles and full-time income streams, appealing especially to younger generations seeking greater autonomy over traditional office roles. While gig work offers freedoms like flexible hours and project choice, it often lacks benefits like healthcare and retirement plans.

The gig economy is a labor market in which workers earn money through on-demand jobs

These “gigs” are often temporary or flexible tasks, such as driving for Uber. Colloquially, the term “gig economy” usually refers to people doing jobs where they connect with people who request their services through an app.

Explore the 2025 Uber Lost & Found Index to find out the weirdest items that passengers left behind in Ubers last year, from ten live lobsters to a mannequin head with human hair.

62% of independent workers said they would prefer permanent or non-contract work

In the consulting firm McKinsey’s 2022 “American Opportunity Survey,” 36% of employed respondents (about 58 million Americans) classified themselves as “independent workers.” But they’re not all thrilled about their current professional status.

Read an article about what happens when nurses are hired like Ubers.

Listen to an interview with a gig economy expert

In this podcast episode, the hosts sit down with NerdWallet Senior News Editor Rick VanderKnyff, a gig economy expert who explains why the sector grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, what defines a gig worker, how gig workers handle their finances, and more.

The 1819 novel 'Ivanhoe' popularized the word 'freelancing'

In the novel, the author wrote about “free-lances:” mercenary soldiers who were “free” to use their weapons (called, yes, “lances”) in service of whoever paid them the most. A video details that story and other gig economy basics.

The number of people collecting money from gig work tripled between 2017 and 2021

That includes people driving for Lyft or delivering food through GrubHub. Those people might be changing the face of the US economy at large, too. Gig work provides a cushion between jobs outside of government unemployment assistance, for example.

Juliet Schor wrote an informative book about the gig economy: 'After the Gig'

In an interview, she explains that gig economy workers come in two groups: people who are earning supplemental income on the side of a full-time job, and people who depend on gig work for their entire incomes. As it turns out, those groups feel very differently about the gig economy.

In a survey of US Gen Z workers, 53% were freelancing for at least 40 hours per week

Overall, Gen Z has a pretty different attitude about work from previous generations, partly because of the economic hardship they’ve witnessed being born into the Great Recession and coming of age during the COVID-19 pandemic.