The Hot New Career for Right Now: Freelancing

The number of independent workers in the U.S. jumped by a whopping 34.% in 2021, to 51.1 million, according to new research. 

MBO Partners’ 11th annual State of Independence study, released earlier this month, found that the number of full-time independents who work more than 15 hours a week, rose by 25% or 3.4 million, to 17 million. The number of side hustlers who freelance regularly but for fewer than 15 hours a week rose by 39% or 9.1 million, to 34.1 million. Meanwhile, more people are dipping a toe in the water of freelancing on a part-time but more occasional basis. Their ranks grew by 51% to 23.9 million.

“This is the largest single increase we’ve seen in a year,” says Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, a provider of back-office services to freelancers. “Equally important, 68% of that was coming from millennials and Gen Z. We’re seeing the front end of the career funnel.”

Read the full article on the Forbes website.