9] As of 2017, 55 million Americans contributed services to the gig economy.[
Among the common types of digital platforms in the gig economy are those to provide ridesharing services, food or package delivery services, crafts and handmade item marketplaces, on-demand labor and repair services, property and space rentals.[3][7] A study completed in 2016 by Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger showed an increase in gig workers, freelancers, and independent contractors of 50 percent between 2005 and 2015. These jobs accounted for 94 percent of all employment growth in the United States during those ten years.[8] As of 2021, 16% of all adults in the United States had earned income through the gig economy with higher levels of gig economy experience having accrued to younger demographics, according to the Pew Research Center.[9] As of 2017, 55 million Americans contributed services to the gig economy.[10] As of 2018, 150 million people were active in the gig economy in North America and Western Europe, according the Harvard Business Review.[11]