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How Big is the Gig? The Extensive Margin, The Intensive Margin, and The Hidden Margin

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  • Bracha, Anat
  • Burke, Mary A.

Abstract

This paper presents survey measures of informal "gig" work in the United States along both the extensive and intensive margins. Focusing on labor-intensive activities, the total amount of gig work performed by U.S. household heads in 2015 was equivalent to 3.77 million full-time jobs, of which 20 percent came from online work. We also find that this nonstandard work is partly hidden: over 15 percent of non-retired gig workers would get classified as not in the labor force, 5 percent would get classified as unemployed, and the full-time employment rate would increase significantly if informal hours are fully counted.

Suggested Citation

  • Bracha, Anat & Burke, Mary A., 2021. "How Big is the Gig? The Extensive Margin, The Intensive Margin, and The Hidden Margin," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:69:y:2021:i:c:s0927537121000099
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2021.101974
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Katharine G. Abraham & John Haltiwanger & Kristin Sandusky & James R. Spletzer, 2013. "Exploring Differences in Employment between Household and Establishment Data," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(S1), pages 129-172.
    2. Bracha, Anat & Burke, Mary A., 2018. "Wage inflation and informal work," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 159-163.
    3. Abraham Katharine G. & Amaya Ashley, 2019. "Probing for Informal Work Activity," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 35(3), pages 487-508, September.
    4. Lawrence F. Katz & Alan B. Krueger, 2016. "The Rise and Nature of Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States, 1995-2015," NBER Working Papers 22667, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Marysol McGee & Barbara J. Robles, 2016. "Exploring Online and Offline Informal Work : Findings from the Enterprising and Informal Work Activities (EIWA) Survey," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2016-089, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Lawrence F. Katz & Alan B. Krueger, 2019. "Understanding Trends in Alternative Work Arrangements in the United States," NBER Working Papers 25425, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anat Bracha & Mary A. Burke, 2023. "Informal Work and Official Employment Statistics: What’s Missing?," Working Papers 23-15, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    2. Smruti Patre, 2023. "Gig Intentions in Management Students: Integrating JD-R in an Extended TPB Model," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(1), pages 76-97, February.
    3. Andrew Garin & Emilie Jackson & Dmitri K. Koustas & Alicia Miller, 2023. "The Evolution of Platform Gig Work, 2012-2021," NBER Working Papers 31273, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Fabian Stephany & Otto Kassi & Uma Rani & Vili Lehdonvirta, 2021. "Online Labour Index 2020: New ways to measure the world's remote freelancing market," Papers 2105.09148, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2021.
    5. J.S. Keshminder & Md Aslam Mia & Mohammad Nourani & Miao Zhang, 2022. "Gig employment in the Malaysian manufacturing industry: a cross‐sectional analysis," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 36(1), pages 48-66, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gig economy; Informal work; Intensive margin; Hours; Employment statistics; Current Population Survey;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J46 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Informal Labor Market
    • E26 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Informal Economy; Underground Economy

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