Trends

59 Million Americans Did Freelance Work This Year

Accelerated by COVID-19 and an uncertain job outlook, more than a third of the American workforce did some freelance work on the side this year. According to a new Freelance Forward report released on Tuesday by Upwork, this means 59 million Americans are now freelancing. This number is up by more than 2 million from 2019.

The study also found that freelancers contributed $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy this year, which is a 22% increase over last year. As a sign of things to come, virtually all recent freelancers surveyed plan to continue doing some projects on the side.

As more companies go remote and adapt to a flexible workforce, more US workers than ever before are turning to freelance as an alternative to traditional employment. This trend will no doubt continue as business see the benefit of hiring talent only when and where they need them.

Read more in the full report on Upwork here.

Want to learn more about how to efficiently manage your freelance workforce? For more information, contact info@allworknow.com or schedule a demo here.

Laura Dutile

Director of Marketing at AllWork

Recent Posts

AllWork Named a ‘Major Contender’ in Everest Group’s Contractor of Record & Contingent Employer of Record Solutions PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2026

Everest Group has released its Contractor of Record (CoR) and Contingent Employer of Record (CEoR)…

7 days ago

Inside an Enterprise Field Program Overhaul: Lessons for Managing Flexible Workers at Scale

When we asked attendees at the start of our September webinar about their biggest challenge…

2 weeks ago

California Sick Leave, Leaves of Absence, & Workers’ Comp: A Manager’s Guide

"I really need you for an event this weekend, so I cannot approve your sick…

3 weeks ago

AllWork Named to Human Cloud’s 2026 Market Map for Flexible Workforce Solutions

Human Cloud has released its 2026 Market Map—a one-page guide to the flexible workforce industry—and…

3 weeks ago

HR Best Practices for Managing Contingent Talent in California

California, the largest labor market in the U.S., is widely considered the most protective of…

1 month ago

The Case for Technology-First Contingent Workforce Management

For full-time staff, most organizations would probably say they have pretty solid software for payroll,…

2 months ago