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The Rise of the Gig Economy: Fact or Fiction?

Author

Listed:
  • Katharine G. Abraham
  • John Haltiwanger
  • Kristin Sandusky
  • James Spletzer

Abstract

Gig work mediated through online platforms has received much recent attention. We find only one sector—the transportation services sector—in which there is unambiguous evidence of substantial and rapidly growing gig activity. A challenge for tracking and understanding the rise in gig activity is that core household surveys are missing the recent overall rise in self-employment that is apparent in administrative and private sector transactions data. We show that this limitation of available household survey data is evident even in the transportation services sector, where the growth in self-employment activity since 2013 has been exponential.

Suggested Citation

  • Katharine G. Abraham & John Haltiwanger & Kristin Sandusky & James Spletzer, 2019. "The Rise of the Gig Economy: Fact or Fiction?," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 109, pages 357-361, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:109:y:2019:p:357-61
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20191039
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    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pandp.20191039
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Abraham, Katharine G. & Hershbein, Brad & Houseman, Susan N., 2021. "Contract work at older ages," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(3), pages 426-447, July.
    2. Illenin Kondo & Kevin Rinz & Natalie Gubbay & Brandon Hawkins & John Voorheis & Abigail Wozniak, 2024. "Granular Income Inequality and Mobility Using IDDA: Exploring Patterns across Race and Ethnicity," NBER Chapters, in: Race, Ethnicity, and Economic Statistics for the 21st Century, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Dolado, Juan J. & Lalé, Etienne & Turon, Hélène, 2021. "Zero-Hours Contracts in a Frictional Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 14979, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Alexander Bick & Adam Blandin, 2023. "Employer Reallocation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Validation and Application of a Do-It-Yourself CPS," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 49, pages 58-76, July.
    5. Anil Rupasingha & John Pender & Ryan Williams, 2024. "Broadband and rural development: Impacts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Broadband Initiatives Program on saving and creating jobs," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(2), pages 698-721, April.
    6. John Komlos, 2019. "The Real U.S. Unemployment Rate Is Twice the Official Rate, and the Phillips Curve," CESifo Working Paper Series 7859, CESifo.
    7. Unel, Bulent & Upton, Gregory B., 2023. "Oil & gas induced economic fluctuations and self-employment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Pedro Bento & Diego Restuccia, 2019. "The Role of Nonemployers in Business Dynamism and Aggregate Productivity," NBER Working Papers 25998, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Oliver Alexander & Jeff Borland & Andrew Charlton & Amit Singh, 2021. "Uber down under: The labour market for drivers in Australia," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2021n18, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    10. Bento, Pedro & Restuccia, Diego, 2021. "On average establishment size across sectors and countries," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 220-242.
    11. Jack Blundell, 2020. "Clusters in UK Self-Employment," CEP Occasional Papers 48, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Michael Papadopoulos, 2020. "Reservation Wages and Work Arrangements: Evidence From The American Life Panel," SCEPA working paper series. 2020-01, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), The New School.
    13. Paul Oyer, 2020. "The gig economy," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 471-471, January.
    14. Jack Blundell, 2020. "Clusters in UK Self-Employment," CEP Occasional Papers 048, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    15. Button, Kenneth & Frye, Hailey & Reaves, David, 2020. "Economic regulation and E-scooter networks in the USA," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    16. Maria Cesira Urzi Brancati & Annarosa Pesole & Enrique Férnandéz-Macías, 2020. "New evidence on platform workers in Europe: Results from the second COLLEEM survey," JRC Research Reports JRC118570, Joint Research Centre.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • L84 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Personal, Professional, and Business Services

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