Yesterday, Upwork and the Freelancers Union published the results of Freelancing in America: 2017, a comprehensive
annual measure of the U.S. independent workforce. The report's
findings are wide-ranging, from the number of people who freelance
(57.3 million), to the annual contribution of freelance earnings to
the economy ($1.4 trillion), to the generation with the highest
percentage of freelance workers (no surprise: Millennials at
47%).
The report also offers insight into the major role that
freelancing will play in the future of work. Indeed, Freelancing in
America estimates that the majority of American workers will
freelance within a decade, with freelance workers
outnumbering non-freelance workers 86.5 million to 83.4 million by
2027. The reasons behind the shift to freelance work are plentiful.
Workers cited greater flexibility, greater freedom, and additional
income as factors driving them to freelance. Freelancing is also
more respected than ever, with more
