This data points to steady growth in professionals working outside of traditional employment.
The number of U.S. workers with alternative work arrangements increased from 10 to 15 percent between 2005 and 2015, MarketWatch reports. In 2005, the BLS found that contingent workers made up 2 to 4 percent of all workers, and about 7 percent of workers were independent contractors. This data points to steady growth in professionals working outside of traditional employment. The Census Bureau found that nonemployers (self-employed individuals “operating a very small, unincorporated business with no paid employees”) grew in all industry sectors between 2003 and 2013.