The focus of this year’s report is viewing the future of the creative economy through an increasingly important lens: gaming technology. The video game industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years, and it is having an impact far beyond the gaming community in transformational ways. Gaming technology is foundational to the development of nearly all sectors, not just the creative ones, prompting both structural and operational shifts throughout the entire economy.
Resource Category: New Era Workforce
Freelancing in America 2019
Commissioned by Upwork and Freelancers Union, this study analyzes the size and impact of the freelance economy, as well as the motivations and challenges of this way of working. This year 53 percent of Gen Z workers freelanced—the highest independent workforce participation of any age bracket since FIA’s launch in 2014.
2019 U.S. Worker Cooperatives
This report is a co-production of Democracy at Work Institute and the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. It is based on the participating 106 businesses. Only responding businesses that are incorporated, generated revenue and paid workers during FY2018 were included in the effort.
The State of Independence 2019
The MBO Partners State of Independence report presents an annual snapshot of a rapidly evolving and increasingly important component of the U.S. economy: the independent workforce. In 2019, the 9th annual report and the industry’s longest-running comprehensive study shows that the independent workforce is strong and confident.
Build Her Up
We at Thumbtack, along with our partner for this report, Square, take pride in our shared mission to make it easier than ever for aspiring entrepreneurs to take the leap and start their own business. And in celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8 and Women’s History Month, we fielded an extensive survey of female small business owners to better understand their experiences of working for themselves.
Freelancing in America 2018
This study, conducted by an independent research firm and commissioned in partnership by Upwork and Freelancers Union, surveyed more than 6,000 U.S. workers. In its fifth annual year, findings show Americans are spending more than 1 billion hours per week freelancing. Beyond quantifying the amount of freelancing happening, new insights delve into why people are increasingly choosing to work this way.
CRA and The Creative Economy
Upstart Co-Lab has published The Community Reinvestment Act and the Creative Economy: Investing in Creative Places and Businesses as Part of Comprehensive Community Development with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
Women Freelancers Make 50% Less
Research conducted by Website Planet (WSP) recently uncovered that female freelancers are being paid significantly less than men—in some cases half as much—on two of the most highly used and reputable freelance job platforms, Upwork and Fiverr. This is shocking. For women tied to the gig economy and rely on these very same websites to find jobs, this is directly tied to their own personal livelihood.
The State of Independence 2018
The MBO Partners State of Independence report, the industry’s longest running
comprehensive study of the American independent workforce, serves as a State
of the Union for a dynamic movement. In 2018, the 8th annual report finds that
the state of the independent workforce is strong, evolving, and multi-faceted.
Freelancing in America: 2017
The fourth annual Freelancing in America study shows what many freelancers know intuitively: The freelance workforce is growing rapidly and adapting quickly in a fast-changing economy. The Freelancers Union projects that independent workers will be a majority of the U.S. workforce in just a decade.