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How many online workers are there in the world? A data-driven assessment
Otto Kässi1,2, Vili Lehdonvirta3,4, Fabian Stephany3
1ETLA Economic Research, Helsinki, Finland.
Open Research Europe
|August 30, 2023
Summary
Globally, 163 million freelancer profiles exist on online platforms. While registered accounts grew significantly, the number of workers completing projects or earning substantial income saw less growth.
Area of Science:
- Digital Economy
- Labor Economics
- Gig Economy Research
Background:
- The rise of online labor platforms (e.g., Upwork, Amazon Mechanical Turk) has created new avenues for global work.
- The precise scale and activity level of online freelancers remain largely unquantified.
- Understanding the scope of online freelancing is crucial for economic analysis and policy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a data-driven estimate of the global number of online workers (freelancers).
- To assess the extent of platform engagement, including work obtained and projects completed.
- To analyze trends in online freelancing growth since 2015.
Main Methods:
- Combined data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive assessment.
- Estimated the number of registered freelancer profiles globally.
- Quantified the subset of workers who have secured work or completed a minimum number of projects/earnings.
Main Results:
- An estimated 163 million freelancer profiles are registered on online labor platforms worldwide.
- Approximately 14 million freelancers have obtained work at least once.
- A smaller segment, 3.3 million freelancers, have completed at least 10 projects or earned over $1000, indicating a disparity between registration and active engagement.
Conclusions:
- Online freelancing represents a significant and growing segment of the global labor market.
- Growth in registered accounts has outpaced the growth in completed work, suggesting potential challenges in platform utilization or worker success.
- Online freelancing is widespread globally but thinly distributed across various countries and economic sectors.
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