Fifty-three million Americans work as freelancers. Take a guess at how many of them are millennials. Half? More than half?
Despite the perception that most participants in the gig or sharing economy are under age 30, only 38% of American freelancers are millennials. While the word “freelancer” may evoke an image of a twentysomething web developer working at a coffee shop in Brooklyn, workers that fit this stereotype are actually in the minority.
Where does the notion that all freelancers are millennials come from? This perception rests in misconceptions surrounding the nature of freelance work, and an overgeneralization of millennials in general.
Freelancers: More than Just Creatives
As technology has changed the way we work, a lot of attention has been paid to freelancers in new, technology-enabled professions in the creative, business, and marketing industries. As a result, articles on the freelancing tend to focus on designers, web developers, and virtual assistants.
Articles focus on ways to support independent workers in monetizing their creative thoughts and skills, explaining the gig economy as being driven by professionals adapting from technical to creative fields. Even articles and news directed at freelancers themselves frequently offer advice on fostering creativity, recommend platforms that support technology professionals in finding gigs, and even judge cities based on the number of coffee shops and accessible WiFi.
The media has led us to believe that freelancers are primarily creative types; free-flowing and artsy, traversing the world with a laptop, coming up with the idea behind the next big app while posting snapshots of lattés to Instagram. There is also a focus on freelancers looking for “gig” work — much like what you see in platforms like taskrabbit — instead of freelancers who are experienced professionals who are looking to work for themselves.
While there are plenty of opportunities for creatives in the gig economy, they make up only a portion of all freelancers. There are legions of people in other industries and positions who choose to be self-employed. Today, professionals in a wide range of fields work freelance; from technical to service positions, from conceptual work to hands-on labor – workers in many fields are finding appealing benefits to working on a freelance basis.
These freelancers are often the cream of the crop. (This may be part of the reason why our study of the blended workforce found that one in five top performing firms report 40% of their labor force as freelancers.) In fact, the current trend shows that professionals with special skills, advanced knowledge, and high talent are even more drawn to the gig economy; their skills are highly sought-after, and becoming self-employed allows them to pick and choose the projects they work on and the clients they work with. The Harvard Business Review even compared these high-powered freelancers to in-demand movie stars.
Media outlets have made “millennial” and “freelancer” nearly synonymous terms for the same persona; a persona that, in reality, doesn’t accurately reflect all freelancers — nor all millennials.
The Myth of the Middle-Class Millennial
Remember that Brooklyn web developer we mentioned at the beginning? He’s the embodiment of stereotypes about millennials, which misses how complex and diverse this generation truly is.
Articles describing the millennial attitude as “The New American Dream” suggest that the generation’s idea of success is an independent, free-flowing lifestyle. The mere use of the word “new” implies this dream differs dramatically from the “traditional” American Dream; as if this lust for independence is exclusive to all young adults, who see no value in the ideas of stability, security, or office environments.
The media pushes these impressions and perceptions upon us. You’ve likely come across headlines like “Millennials Transforming the Traditional Workplace Into a More Dynamic One” and “4 Reasons Millennials Are Taking On Freelancing More Than Any Generation.” When we analyze news coverage surrounding freelancers and the gig economy, it becomes clear why so many people associate “freelancer” with a specific demographic: the millennial who simply can’t sit still, itching to travel the world while working remotely, with complete autonomy over her own schedule.
Research shows this stereotype isn’t entirely accurate; and people are starting to speak out against the false overgeneralizations of millennials. The young generation seems quick to adopt methods for ride-sharing — but is this due to a rejection of the traditional automotive industry, or the fact that many millennials cannot afford to own a car? Where the media blames millennials for damaging paper product paper napkin sales, department stores, and the housing market; others point to a generation forced to cut costs, drowning in more student debt than their parents could have imagined.
The stereotype isn’t accurate when it comes to millennials’ attitudes in the workplace, either. According to one study by Universum Global, having personal control over working hours was not one of the top three most important job characteristics for 85% of millennials. In fact, for 74% of millennials, flexible working conditions didn’t even make it into the top three. In contrast, 49% of millennials said secure employment was one of the top three things most important to them in a job.
Together, these stats do not paint a picture of an entrepreneurial millennial, hopping from coffee shop to coffee shop doing freelance work. Yet that is the image that persists. Why?
Part of the reason may be the focus on a particular subset of millennials who may in fact be more likely to freelance, but who do not represent the majority. As one millennial writer put it, “What’s implied — and the idea we’re being sold — is that millennials are middle class and that ‘millennial’ is a catch-all term for young, middle-class (white) person.”
In reality, 43% of Americans aged 18 to 34 are members of racial minorities. Nearly 20% of American millennials live in poverty. Even if these millennials would prefer not to work 9-to-5, that may not be an option for them. Financial circumstances may make it necessary for them to take whatever work they can get.
Yes, some millennials are middle- or upper-class and white, with the financial stability that makes it easier for them to take the financial risk of working freelance. But these millennials are not as common as some assume.
So, Who Are Freelancers?
For the 2016 Field Nation “New Face of the American Workforce” study, we surveyed more than 800 freelancers to learn more about who they are, what motivates them, and how much experience they have.
What we found challenges the idea of the millennial freelancer. An overwhelming majority (88%) of Field Nation freelancers are age 35 or older, and 59% have been freelancing for more than six years.
Many freelancers are professionals who have been at it for a while, and they take it seriously. Ninety-six percent say they are committed to the success of their business.
As any forty- or fifty something freelancer can tell you, the freelance life isn’t just for the young. According to the 2015 “Freelancing in America” Survey, members of the Baby Boom generation are the most likely to start freelancing by choice. And people of all ages, not only millennials, can appreciate the flexibility freelancing provides. In particular, those who act as caregivers for family members value the control over their schedules.
The evidence shows all generations are able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the gig economy. For every twentysomething web developer, there’s a fortysomething event planner or a fifty something field service technician who is also living the freelance dream. Freelancing is for everyone.
