The Flexitariat

A new term for the rising numbers of flexible and gig workers was coined at the end of 2023: The Flexitariat. Julia Hobsbawm, a workplace author and Bloomberg Work Shift columnist, predicts that the number of workers who choose flexibility over stability will continue to grow, despite the call back to the office many employers have issued over the past couple of years.

Over half of Gen Z engages in side hustles, citing the need to control and expand their income streams amid economic uncertainty.  The Harris Poll has dubbed them “America’s first true ‘side hustle’ generation.” Hobsbawm says that many workers will decide that life’s too short to ask for, plead, or negotiate a flexible schedule that works for them. They’ll simply take their skills to the open marketplace, finding a mix of gigs and clients that provide the income they need with the flexibility they want.

The numbers in the U.S. are growing every year. Studies indicated that at least 70 million workers took on some sort of freelance work in 2025. Since 2014, when Upwork began surveying data, an average of one million Americans became freelancers annually. That includes 52% of all Gen Zers and 45% of all millennials.

It makes sense for the younger generation to take on gigs, even if they’re also employed in traditional jobs. Gigs allow them to make industry connections and try out skills they may not be using in their 9-5 job. They’re also gaining valuable experience and references for their portfolio – essential for a gig worker to be hired in a competitive market. They’re earning extra income while practicing for the day they can become full-time gig workers. Many of this generation’s gig workers are also entrepreneurs. “For Gen Z, the day job funds the passion project,” Glassdoor researchers wrote in an August report.

Companies are hiring more freelancers and contractors every year. Concerns about recession and the rise of AI have prompted more and more employers to practice “quiet hiring,” or hiring short-term contract workers to replace traditional employees who are laid off or leave on their own, according to labor experts. Most of the executives say the strategy, at least in part, is intended to save money. It’s also a placeholder strategy until managers figure out how much work AI can perform accurately and reliably as a supplement to their workforce.

People still tend to believe that most workers who enter the Gig Economy take on low-level jobs that provide little income, security, or satisfaction, reinforcing their belief that gig work is a considerable step down from a “real” job. But that’s becoming an outdated view of what’s actually happening.

In the real Gig Economy, the work being done is very diverse. According to the Gig Economy Data Hub, almost 21% of gig workers work in business services, which includes everything from creative services to legal work to IT. 14% work in healthcare and education. 8% work in finance; 17% work in construction. That last number isn’t surprising or new; many skilled trades workers have always been gig workers; they’re essentially micro businesses taking on projects and hiring partners when needed for specific skills. The same goes for creative workers and marketing professionals.

Eighty percent of gig workers reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their work in a 2023 BLS survey (the last survey available). Only 10 percent said they were actively trying to go back to traditional jobs. Recent studies have shown that up to 16% of traditional workers report being actively disengaged at work. Maybe that’s another reason for employers to consider more motivated and engaged gig workers.