Freelance Economy

See: Freelancer.

Workin’ nine-to-five might be one way to make a living, but in today’s economy, it’s not the only way. Welcome to the freelance economy, an alternate economic dimension in which workers are self-employed and paid by various people and/or organizations to complete specific, short-term projects.

This economic change has opened professional doors for people who just couldn’t get jiggy with the 9-to-5 hustle, from moms with young kids to students to folks in need of extra income to creative geniuses who just don’t want to be encumbered by corporate life. In 2018, it was estimated that freelance workers numbered over 50 million—that’s over a third of our nation’s total workforce, y’all. That’s a lot. Definitely a sizeable chunk of our economy as a whole.

And while some of us out there are thinking, “Wow, we want to be a part of the freelance economy too, because driving in rush hour to work long hours for low pay and no recognition of our efforts or inherent awesomeness sucks,” there are some caveats to this whole deal. Freelance workers don’t get company-sponsored health insurance or retirement benefits, and they have to pay self-employment taxes on the money they make, which takes some self-discipline (and it can get pricey in April if they haven’t been paying attention throughout the year). But as the type of work we do continues to shift, and as the needs and wants of American workers continue to change, the freelance portion of the economic pie just might continue to grow.