Independent workers surged to 34% in 2021
The number of independent workers in the United States (US) grew significantly from 38.2 million in 2020 to 51.1 million in 2021, up 34%, as professionals desire control and flexibility in their employment.
According to a report by talent platform Business Talent Group (BTG), this trend is bound to continue in the future with 56% of non-freelancing professionals looking to explore freelancing.
BTG Co-Founder and Co-CEO Jody Greenstone Miller said that the high talent demand gave employees an “enormous leverage.”
According to respondents, the top reasons to go independent include picking their projects (70%), the freedom to work from anywhere (63%), and the variety of work available in the independent market (62%).
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of talent (83%) said that they are satisfied with freelancing full-time — beating pre-pandemic satisfaction levels.
Income in freelancing is also higher with the median daily rate reaching $1,200 last year. Due to this reason, only 43% said that they would consider returning to the traditional workforce.
Among respondents with four or more years of independent experience beyond their successful traditional careers, 61% say they are unlikely to return to permanent employment in the next 12 months.
