Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    The gig economy grows up

    We are fast becoming a nation of freelancers, temps and on-call hired help. In 2015 nearly 16% of workers had freelance jobs, a 10% jump from a decade ago. In fact, all of the net employment growth between 2005 and 2015 came from what's now referred to as the sharing or gig economy.

    • rss
    • Share
    KCRW placeholderBy Barbara Bogaev • Dec 29, 2016 • 1 min read

    We are fast becoming a nation of freelancers, temps and on-call hired help. In 2015 nearly 16% of workers had freelance jobs, a 10% jump from a decade ago. In fact, all of the net employment growth between 2005 and 2015 came from what's now referred to as the sharing or gig economy. Nearly a third of American workers have some kind of non-traditional gig, and by 2025 freelancers could make up half the workforce. This seismic shift away from 9-to-5 employment offers freedom and flexibility, but it comes with a steep price: few benefits, low wages, and little protection for the older workers who are increasingly drawn to the hustle. As the gig economy grows, will labor policy and protections keep up? We talk about the winners and losers in a world where more people are their own boss.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    How the gig economy is changing the way we view work
    1. 1:22Agreement reached on new Syrian ceasefire
    2. 7:56The gig economy grows upYou’re reading this
    3. 42:19A censored Facebook in China is good for freedom
    • KCRW placeholder

      Barbara Bogaev

      radio journalist

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christine Detz

      Producer, 'To the Point'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Karen Foshay

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Arun Sundararajan

      New York University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrew Keen

      tech-industry commentator

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    How the gig economy is changing the way we view work
    1. 1:22Agreement reached on new Syrian ceasefire
    2. 7:56The gig economy grows upYou’re reading this
    3. 42:19A censored Facebook in China is good for freedom
    Back to To the Point