U.S. Independent Workforce to Rise Nearly 3 Percent by 2024: MBO Partners

MBO Partners' 2019 State of Independence in America report expects U.S. independent workers to total 47.2 million by 2024, according to Staffing Industry Analysts . All independent worker classes are anticipated to grow, with the fastest growth concentrated among "occasional independents." The report also found 70 percent of full-time independents plan to maintain their current employment trajectory, while baby boomers' independent workforce segment shrank from 35 percent to 33 percent. The independent workforce produced $1.28 trillion of revenue for the U.S. economy in 2018. About one-fifth of full-time independents are "high-earning independents" who make more than $100,000, but their ranks contracted from 3.3 million last year to 3.14 million this year. MBO Partners suggests this trend is driven by independents with high incomes being offered opportunities for traditional jobs amid a tightening labor market.