Gig Economy Workforce Shrank, Labor Department Finds (1)

The nation’s gig economy workforce has shrunk, a new Labor Department report found, contradicting some industry reports that have found a rise in the number of workers.

The overall gig workforce totals 10.1 percent of the nation’s workforce, the DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics concluded from a survey conducted in May 2017. That’s down from 10.7 percent in 2005, which was the previous time the survey was conducted.

The largest decrease for the gig segment was among workers who characterized themselves as “independent contractors.” That group shrank to 6.9 percent of the nation’s workforce from 7.4 percent in 2005. Those ...