Gig Work and Self-Employment

The rise of gig and platform work (e.g., Uber, TaskRabbit) in the U.S. continues a trend toward nontraditional employment arrangements. Self-employment is often celebrated as an opportunity for individuals to be their own boss and gig work as offering flexibility and control, though it is unclear how non-traditional work relates to the financial stability of workers.

SPI analyzes data from the Household Financial Survey and Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey to explore these issues.