Survey research conducted by economists Lawrence Katz of Harvard University and Alan Krueger at Princeton University shows that from 2005 to 2015, the proportion of Americans workers engaged in what they refer to as “alternative work” jumped from 10.7% to 15.8%. Alternative work is characterized by being temporary or unsteady—such as work as an independent contractor or through a temporary help agency.
“We find that 94% of net job growth in the past decade was in the alternative work category,” said Krueger. “And over 60% was due to the [the rise] of independent contractors, freelancers and contract company workers.” In other words, nearly all of the 10 million jobs created between 2005 and 2015 were not traditional nine-to-five employment.
Krueger, a former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was surprised by the finding. The survey’s original goal was to quantify the size of the gig economy (0.5% and growing). The researchers were caught off guard by the tremendous growth of alternative work. There had been almost no change from 1995 to 2005.
Water is wet?
I’m thoroughly confused by this, as it is… completely unsurprising? Like, virtually everyone who has tried to find a job for the past decade has been saying this for… the past decade? It’s been this way for longer than the study too, it started with the internet bubble. This is why so few people have insurance through work or union protection or job security or living wages – none of those jobs have been created, people are just trying to scrape up some money where they can. This is why I do what I do for a living; it worked out as best it could because of disability, but it started because I couldn’t find a job, and couldn’t find a job, and couldn’t find a job, despite being tremendously qualified for virtually everything I interviewed for.
I would be disappointed that apparently no one in charge of anything has any clue how the economy works outside of the stock market, but I guess I didn’t expect any better, really.
Meg's Mumbles 