Many in US choosing to work as freelancers

Compensation, health care among hurdles

PHOENIX – In an employment market in which jobs are plentiful, many people are choosing to work for themselves as freelancers or contractors.

More than one-third of workers identify as independent contractors, including those taking on side gigs to supplement full-time jobs. In addition, most freelancers, along with the companies that hire them, say they expect these types of engagements to increase.

“Side hustling is a massive market,” said Shannon Denton, co-founder of Wripple, a website that matches employers with freelancers. A lot of employers want to pay for workers only when they need them, as on specific projects, he said. And plenty of workers want to control their own schedules, assignments and more.

Frank Vitale, a commercial digital artist in Phoenix, has been working as a freelancer for 25 years, helping businesses portray their products or services in ways that help educate customers, employees or others. Vitale said he enjoys the variety of assignments that freelancing provides and likes “being my own boss and deciding what to work on.”

Mischa Aurita of Phoenix has taken jobs as a freelancing social-media strategist and content creator.

“After gaining valuable experience as a full-time employee at a local ad agency, I decided to transition into freelancing, leveraging the skills I gained during my time there,” she said.

Freelancing, Aurita adds, provides the flexibility to work remotely and to craft her schedule as she desires.

“This also meant I had the freedom to choose inspiring, creative environments like local coffee shops, the library or other shared spaces, rather than being confined to an office setting all day,” she said.

Roughly 38% of workers around the U.S. engaged in at least some freelance or independent work last year, one survey estimated. The proportion has been rising.

Independent workers include those driving for Uber or Lyft, making deliveries for DoorDash or filling other such roles, but many other positions are white-collar focused, according to a Wripple study. According to the study, 82% of worker respondents and 92% of the companies that use them said they expect freelance engagements to increase over the next two years.

The biggest problems freelancers face are earning enough money and not receiving company-provided health or other benefits, Denton said. According to the Wripple survey, which elicited feedback from 200 freelancers and 214 employers, independent workers sometimes also complain about not having a good sense of their responsibilities.

Employers, in turn, often reject applicants because they aren't good fits or because they're asking for too much compensation. However, some employers participating in the Wripple study also reported that they don't take freelancer applicants seriously if they request too little pay.

Freelancers also need to be ready to wear multiple hats and to hustle.

“The most difficult aspect of being a full-time freelancer is it's all you, everything is up to you, and at times there may not be work available and it's your job to find it,” said Vitale, who operates under ThirtyThreeNorth .com.

Roughly 38% of workers around the U.S. engaged in at least some freelance or independent work last year, one survey estimated.