Gig economy: A third of U.S. workers say they’re “free agents”

From CNN Money, a report that a third of US workers are independent workers.  CNN reports:

A full 31% of U.S. workers consider themselves “free agents,” according to a new survey from recruiting and employment firm Kelly Services.

They identify as independent contractors, freelancers, small business owners, temps or even moonlighters. But they don’t identify as “traditional employees” — i.e., getting their sole source of income from just one employer.

A majority of them said they don’t want to be tied down to just one boss. And most entered free agency willingly.

Only 10% said they were forced into it because of economic conditions — half as many as in 2011, the last time Kelly conducted the survey.

Free agents reported higher levels of satisfaction than traditional employees in terms of their work overall, their work-life balance, skills development and opportunities to advance their careers, the survey showed.

When it came to job security, it was pretty much a tie. Given how notoriously uncertain a freelancer’s life can be, that may be more a comment on how insecure traditional workers are feeling today about their jobs.

Free agency cuts across all industries, according to the survey, but it appeared to be most prevalent in IT, finance/accounting, engineering and education.

It’s not just the young who have signed up. The survey found that 36% of Baby Boomers identified as free agents compared to just 26% of Millennials.

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