Are the workers in the on-demand economy employees, independent contractors, or a hybrid category?

Abstract

This article reviews and advances existing literature concerning whether the workers in the on-demand economy are employees, independent contractors, or a hybrid category. Building my argument by drawing on data collected from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Edelman Intelligence, Elance-oDesk, Ernst & Young, Freelancers Union, Human-Resources, NPR/Marist, PersolKelly, Pew Research Center, and Upwork, I performed analyses and made estimates regarding the likely impact of some workers preferring flexible contract-based roles over traditional permanent full-time roles (%), issues freelancers are concerned about (%), how benefits differ for part-time, full-time, and contract workers (%), and reasons for using contingent workers (%).