Gig Economy and Polywork

For millions of people, the traditional nine-to-five job with a single employer is no longer the norm. Instead, many are working independently on a job-by-job basis or balancing multiple income streams, fueling the rise of the gig economy and polywork.

The gig economy involves the exchange of labor for money between individuals or companies via digital platforms that actively facilitate matching between providers and customers on a short-term, payment-by-task basis. A 2022 McKinsey survey found that over a third (36 percent) of the U.S. workforce identified as independent workers. By 2024, the gig economy had grown to a global market size of $556.7 billion, and it is projected to more than triple to $1.85 trillion by 2032.

Younger gig workers are increasingly embracing polywork, a trend in which individuals hold multiple jobs or clients simultaneously. The post-COVID rise of remote work has further enabled polyworking, as the elimination of commutes allows workers to seamlessly switch between roles. Research suggests that a third of polyworkers now juggle three or more jobs.

As this shift reshapes labor markets, cities must adapt their economic development strategies to support gig workers and polyworkers while ensuring fair labor protections and aligning with community growth objectives.