As the Labor Department releases the unemployment report for October, research out today confirms that a major area of growth in the future of work over the next several years will be temporary, or gig jobs. And what may be the most surprising finding — workers 35 and older make up the majority of this segment of the economy.
The study by TrueBlue and Emsi projects that gig employment will outpace the growth rate for all U.S. jobs, increasing to more than 3.2 million jobs by 2025.
The October survey of 4,000 temporary workers focused on Temporary Help Services workers who are employed by companies as well as those who are self-employed.
According to the data:
- This is not a new phenomenon. Temporary employment has been growing steadily for the last several years as the U.S. recovered from the last recession. Nearly 480,000 jobs were added from 2012 to 2019, with companies seeking more flexibility in how they hire and workers seeking greater control over when and where they work.
- Temporary work skews towards older age groups. While temporary employment is relatively balanced among age groups, the majority (57 percent) of people working temporary assignments, or gigs, are ages 35 and older; 18 percent are ages 55 and older. Here’s a further breakdown:
- 24 and younger – 16 percent
- 25 to 34 – 27 percent
- 35 to 44 – 21 percent
- 45 to 54 – 18 percent
- 55 and older – 18 percent
- The number one reason why people say they want to take on gig work is to earn extra income followed by the desire to get their foot in the door with a company.
- Los Angeles, CA (adding 13,466 jobs), Dallas, TX (+13,435 jobs), Chicago, IL (+12,944 jobs), Grand Rapids, MI (+8,997 jobs) and New York, NY (+8,718 jobs) are the top five metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) projected to add the largest number of temporary jobs from 2019 to 2025.
- In raw numbers, the fastest-growing temporary occupations from 2019 to 2025 will be led by supply chain roles from manufacturing and warehouse jobs to various positions in the transport industry. In percentage terms, skilled jobs such as registered nurses and software developers will be in high demand.
| Occupation | Temporary Employment
2019 |
Temporary Employment
2025 |
Temporary Employment
Growth 2019 to 2025 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 544.450 | 598,077 | 53,627
10% |
| Helpers – Production Workers | 96,191 | 120,900 | 24,709
26% |
| Packers and Packagers, Hand | 124,098 | 136,565 | 12,467
10% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 57,429 | 62,958 | 5,529
10% |
| Human Resources Specialists | 54,746 | 60,156 | 5,410
10% |
| Stock Clerks and Order Fillers | 47,951 | 52,613 | 4,662
10% |
| Office Clerks, General | 118,404 | 123,016 | 4,612
4% |
| Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 46,843 | 51,356 | 4,513
10% |
| Registered Nurses | 45,155 | 49,637 | 4,482
10% |
| Construction Laborers | 44,767 | 49,120 | 4,353
10% |
| Substitute Teachers | 40,318 | 44,375 | 4,056
10% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 40,813 | 44,807 | 3,994
10% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 91,746 | 95,475 | 3,729
4% |
| Software Developers, Applications | 20,902 | 24,150 | 3,248
16% |
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