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   Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements News Release For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, June 7, 2018                       	USDL-18-0942

Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


            CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS -- MAY 2017


In May 2017, 3.8 percent of workers--5.9 million persons--held contingent jobs, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These contingent workers are persons who do
not expect their jobs to last or who report that their jobs are temporary. Using three
different measures, contingent workers accounted for 1.3 percent to 3.8 percent of
total employment in May 2017. (See tables A and 1.) In February 2005, the last time the
survey was conducted, all three measures were higher, ranging from 1.8 percent to 4.1
percent of employment.

In addition to contingent workers, the survey also identified workers who have various
alternative work arrangements. In May 2017, there were 10.6 million independent
contractors (6.9 percent of total employment), 2.6 million on-call workers (1.7 percent
of total employment), 1.4 million temporary help agency workers (0.9 percent of total
employment), and 933,000 workers provided by contract firms (0.6 percent of total
employment). (See tables A and 5.)

Contingent work and alternative employment arrangements are measured separately. Some
workers are both contingent and working in an alternative arrangement, but this is not
automatically the case. The measures of contingent work and alternative employment
arrangements apply only to a person's sole or main job. For individuals with more than
one job, this is the job in which they usually work the most hours.

This information was obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample
survey of about 60,000 households that provides data on employment and unemployment in the
United States. Data on contingent and alternative employment arrangements were collected
periodically in supplements to the CPS from February 1995 to February 2005. The May 2017
supplement was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office. Table
A presents a summary of the three contingent worker estimates and four alternative employment
arrangements. The concepts and definitions used in the supplement are included in the
Technical Note in this news release. Also see
www.bls.gov/cps/contingent-and-alternative-arrangements-faqs.htm for answers to
frequently asked questions.

 _________________________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                                         |
|           Note on New Questions in 2017 Contingent Worker Supplement                    |
|                                                                                         |
| Four new questions were added to the May 2017 Contingent Worker Supplement. These       |
| questions were designed to identify individuals who found short tasks or jobs through   |
| a mobile app or website and were paid through the same app or website. BLS continues    |
| to evaluate the data from these new questions; the data do not appear in this news      |
| release. When available, additional information will be at                              |
| www.bls.gov/cps/electronically-mediated-employment.htm. Findings from this research     |
| will be published in a Monthly Labor Review article by September 30, 2018.              |
|_________________________________________________________________________________________|


Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements as a percent of total
employment, May 2017
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                        | Percent of total
|                          Contingent workers                            |    employed
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Contingent workers are those who do not have an implicit or explicit   |
| contract for ongoing employment. Persons who do not expect to continue |
| in their jobs for personal reasons such as retirement or returning to  |
| school are not considered contingent workers, provided that they would |
| have the option of continuing in the job were it not for these personal|
| reasons.                                                               |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                        |
| Estimate 1                                                             |
|                                                                        |
| Wage and salary workers who expect their jobs will last for an         |
| additional year or less and who had worked at their jobs for 1         |
| year or less. Self-employed workers and independent contractors        |
| are excluded from this estimate. Temporary help and contract           |
| workers are included in this estimate based on the expected duration   |
| and tenure of their employment with the temporary help or contract     |       1.3
| firm, not with the specific client to whom they are assigned.          |
|                                                                        |
| Estimate 2                                                             |
|                                                                        |
| Workers, including the self-employed and independent contractors,      |
| who expect their employment to last for an additional year or          |
| less and who had worked at their jobs (or been self-employed) for      |
| 1 year or less. Temporary help and contract workers are included in    |
| this estimate based on the expected duration and tenure with the       |
| client to whom they are assigned, instead of their tenure with         |       1.6
| the temporary help or contract firm.                                   |
|                                                                        |
| Estimate 3                                                             |
|                                                                        |
| Workers who do not expect their jobs to last. Wage and salary          |
| workers are included even if they already had held the job for         |
| more than 1 year and expect to hold the job for at least an            |
| additional year. The self-employed and independent contractors         |
| are included if they expect their employment to last for an            |
| additional year or less and they had been self-employed or             |       3.8
| independent contractors for 1 year or less.                            |
|                                                                        |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                   Alternative employment arrangements
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Independent contractors                                                |
|                                                                        |
| Workers who are identified as independent contractors, independent     |
| consultants, or freelance workers, regardless of whether they are self-|       6.9
| employed or wage and salary workers.                                   |
|                                                                        |
| On-call workers                                                        |
|                                                                        |
| Workers who are called to work only as needed, although they can be    |       1.7
| scheduled to work for several days or weeks in a row.                  |
|                                                                        |
| Temporary help agency workers                                          |
|                                                                        |
| Workers who are paid by a temporary help agency, whether or not their  |
| job is temporary.                                                      |       0.9
|                                                                        |
| Workers provided by contract firms                                     |
|                                                                        |
| Workers who are employed by a company that provides them or their      |       0.6
| services to others under contract, are usually assigned to only one    |
| customer, and usually work at the customer's worksite.                 |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   See the Technical Note for the concepts and key questions used to identify these workers.


Highlights from the May 2017 data:

   --Under the broadest measure of contingency, there were 5.9 million contingent workers;
     these workers who did not expect their jobs to last accounted for 3.8 percent of
     total employment. (See table 1.)

   --Contingent workers were more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to be under
     age 25. They were also more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to work part
     time. (See table 2.)

   --Young contingent workers (16- to 24-year-olds) were much more likely than their noncontingent
     counterparts to be enrolled in school (62 percent and 36 percent, respectively). (See table 3.)

   --Contingent workers were more likely to work in professional and related occupations and
     in construction and extraction occupations than noncontingent workers. (See table 4.)

   --More than half of contingent workers (55 percent) would have preferred a permanent job.
     (See table 10.)

   --In terms of alternative employment arrangements, 6.9 percent of all workers were independent
     contractors, 1.7 percent were on-call workers, 0.9 percent were temporary help agency workers,
     and 0.6 percent were workers provided by contract firms. (See table A.)

   --The demographic characteristics of workers in alternative employment arrangements varied
     between the four arrangements. Compared to workers in traditional arrangements, independent
     contractors were more likely to be older, temporary help agency workers were more likely to
     be Black or Hispanic or Latino, and workers provided by contract companies were more likely
     to be men. (See table 6.)

   --While 79 percent of independent contractors preferred their arrangement over a traditional
     job, only 44 percent of on-call workers and 39 percent of temporary help agency workers
     preferred their work arrangement. (See table 11.)

   --The proportion of workers employed in alternative arrangements who also were classified as
     contingent workers ranged from 3 percent of independent contractors to 42 percent of temporary
     help agency workers. (See table 12.)

Contingent Work

In May 2017, the three estimates of contingent workers ranged from 1.3 percent to 3.8 percent of employment.
(See table A and the Technical Note for an explanation of the concepts.) In February 2005, the last
time the survey was conducted, all three measures were higher, ranging from 1.8 percent to 4.1
percent of employment. In February 1995, the first year the survey was conducted, the estimates
ranged from 2.2 percent to 4.9 percent. The characteristics of workers in contingent jobs in May 2017 were
generally similar to those in prior surveys.

The analysis in this news release focuses on the third and largest estimate of contingent workers--
all those who do not expect their current job to last.

Demographic Characteristics of Contingent Workers

Using the broadest estimate of contingency, 5.9 million workers were classified as contingent in May
2017. Contingent workers were more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to be under 25 years
old (28 percent versus 12 percent). Of these young workers, 3 in 5 contingent workers were enrolled
in school, compared with fewer than 2 in 5 youth with noncontingent jobs. Contingent workers ages 25
to 64 were found at all levels of educational attainment. Contingent workers were about twice as
likely as noncontingent workers to have less than a high school diploma (14 percent, compared with
7 percent) and slightly more likely to hold at least a bachelor's degree (44 percent, compared with
41 percent). (See tables 1, 2, and 3.)

In May 2017, 47 percent of both contingent and noncontingent workers were women. In past surveys,
contingent workers were slightly more likely to be women than were noncontingent workers. In May
2017, contingent workers remained slightly less likely than noncontingent workers to be White (76
percent, compared with 79 percent) and much more likely to be Hispanic or Latino (22 percent, compared
with 16 percent).

Contingent workers are more likely to work part time than are noncontingent workers. In May 2017,
about 2 in 5 contingent workers worked less than 35 hours per week, compared with fewer than 1 in
5 noncontingent workers. However, the vast majority of part-time workers were not employed in contingent
arrangements.

Occupation and Industry of Contingent Workers

As in previous surveys, contingent workers were distributed throughout the major occupational groups.
In May 2017, nearly one-third of contingent workers were employed in professional and related occupations,
compared with one-fourth of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers were also more likely than their
noncontingent counterparts to work in construction and extraction occupations (11 percent and 5 percent,
respectively). Contingent workers were less likely than noncontingent workers to be employed in management,
business, and financial operations occupations (8 percent and 17 percent, respectively). (See table 4.)

By industry, about one-third of contingent workers were employed in the education and health services
industry, compared with roughly one-fourth of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers also were more
likely than noncontingent workers to be employed in the agriculture and construction industries. Contingent
workers were less likely to work in retail trade and manufacturing than were noncontingent workers.

Job Preferences of Contingent Workers

Just over half of contingent workers would have preferred a permanent job in May 2017, while one-third
preferred their contingent employment arrangement. (The remainder expressed no clear preference.) The
share of contingent workers who would have preferred a permanent job was about the same as in past surveys.
(See table 10.)

Compensation of Contingent Workers

Contingent workers earned less than their noncontingent counterparts in May 2017. Among full-time workers,
median weekly earnings for contingent workers ($685) were 77 percent of those of noncontingent workers
($886). The disparity in earnings likely reflects the many differences in the demographic characteristics
of contingent and noncontingent workers and the jobs they hold. (See table 13.)

Contingent wage and salary workers were half as likely to be covered by employer-provided health insurance
as noncontingent workers. One-fourth of contingent workers had employer-provided health insurance in May
2017, compared with half of noncontingent workers. Although most contingent workers did not receive health
insurance from their jobs, a substantial share--nearly 3 in 4--had health insurance from some source,
including coverage from another family member's policy, through a government program, or by purchasing it
on their own. Overall, contingent workers were less likely than noncontingent workers to have health
insurance coverage from any source (73 percent and 84 percent, respectively). The gap in health insurance
coverage between contingent and noncontingent workers is smaller than in 2005. (See table 9.)

Among wage and salary workers, contingent workers were about half as likely as noncontingent workers to
be eligible for employer-provided pension or retirement plans in May 2017--23 percent of contingent
workers compared with 48 percent of noncontingent workers. Overall, the proportion of contingent workers
who actually participated in employer-provided plans (18 percent) also was much lower than that of
noncontingent workers (43 percent).

Alternative Employment Arrangements

The May 2017 survey collected information on the number and characteristics of workers in four alternative
employment arrangements--independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary help agency workers, and
workers employed by contract companies.

Compared with February 2005 (the last time the survey was conducted), the proportion of the employed who
were independent contractors was lower in May 2017, while the proportions employed in the other three
alternative arrangements were little different. Workers in the four groups continued to differ significantly
from each other as well as from workers in traditional arrangements.

Independent Contractors

Independent contractors (including independent consultants and freelance workers) remained the largest
of the four alternative work arrangements. In May 2017, there were 10.6 million independent contractors,
representing 6.9 percent of total employment. This estimate is smaller than the 7.4 percent of workers
in February 2005 who were independent contractors. (See tables A and 5.)

Independent contractors are generally older than workers in other alternative and traditional arrangements.
In May 2017, more than 1 in 3 independent contractors were age 55 or older, compared with fewer than 1
in 4 workers in traditional arrangements. This reflects the fact that the likelihood of employed persons
being independent contractors increases with age. (See tables 5 and 6.)

As in past surveys, men were more likely to be independent contractors than were women; about two-thirds
of independent contractors were men in May 2017. Independent contractors also remained more likely to be
White than workers in other alternative and traditional arrangements.

Independent contractors were more likely than those in traditional arrangements to be in management,
business, and financial operations occupations; sales and related occupations; and construction and
extraction occupations. In terms of industry, independent contractors were more likely than traditional
workers to be employed in construction and in professional and business services. (See table 8.)

Independent contractors overwhelmingly prefer their work arrangement (79 percent) to traditional jobs.
Fewer than 1 in 10 independent contractors would prefer a traditional work arrangement. (See table 11.)

Only 3 percent of independent contractors were also contingent workers in May 2017--the same percentage
as workers in traditional arrangements. (See table 12.)

On-call Workers

On-call workers are defined as those who report to work only when called, although they can be scheduled
to work for several days or weeks in a row. In May 2017, there were 2.6 million on-call workers, accounting
for 1.7 percent of total employment. The demographic characteristics of on-call workers were generally
similar to those in traditional arrangements except that on-call workers were somewhat more likely to be
age 65 or older. (See tables 5 and 6.)

About 45 percent of on-call workers worked part time, a much higher proportion than either traditional
workers or workers in other alternative arrangements.

On-call workers were more likely than those in traditional arrangements to work in professional and related
occupations, service occupations, construction and extraction occupations, and transportation and material
moving occupations. By industry, on-call workers were more likely to work in education and health services
and in construction. (See table 8.)

In May 2017, 43 percent of on-call workers would have preferred to work in a traditional arrangement,
about the same percentage as preferred their alternative arrangement. Roughly 1 in 5 on-call workers was
also a contingent worker. (See tables 11 and 12.)

Temporary Help Agency Workers

In May 2017, 1.4 million workers were paid by a temporary help agency, about 0.9 percent of total
employment. As in earlier surveys, they were much more likely than workers in traditional arrangements
to be Black or Hispanic or Latino. Temporary help agency workers ages 25 to 64 were less likely than
traditional workers or workers in other arrangements to have attended college--about half of temporary
help agency workers had completed at least one year of college, compared with roughly two-thirds of those
in other alternative or traditional arrangements. About 1 in 4 temporary help agency workers had a part-time
schedule--a slightly higher proportion than for traditional workers. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.)

Temporary help agency workers were heavily concentrated in the production, transportation, and material
moving occupations and in manufacturing industries. In May 2017, 46 percent of temporary help agency workers
would have preferred a traditional job, less than the 56 percent in February 2005. In May 2017, 42 percent
of temporary help agency workers were also contingent workers, a smaller share than in past surveys. (See
tables 8, 11, and 12.)

Workers Provided by Contract Firms

The smallest of the four alternative arrangements was contract company employment, with 933,000 workers
or 0.6 percent of total employment in May 2017. These individuals work for companies that provide workers
or their services to other organizations under contract; they usually are assigned to one client at a
time and work at the client's place of business. Two-thirds of contract company workers were men, compared
with about half of traditional workers. Workers provided by contract firms were more likely to be Asian
than were traditional workers or workers in other arrangements. (See tables 5 and 6.)

In May 2017, more than one-third of contract company workers were in professional and related occupations
and one-fourth were in service occupations. Computer professionals and security guards are common occupations
for workers provided by contract firms. By industry, contract company workers were much more likely to
be employed in public administration than those in other alternative or traditional arrangements. Fifteen
percent of contract company workers were also contingent workers. (See tables 8 and 12.)

Compensation of Workers in Alternative Employment Arrangements

Among full-time workers, there was wide variation in the median earnings of those in alternative employment
arrangements relative to one another and to workers in a traditional arrangement. In May 2017, median
weekly earnings were highest for contract company workers ($1,077). Earnings for independent contractors
($851) were roughly similar to those for workers in traditional arrangements ($884), while earnings for
on-call workers ($797) and temporary help agency workers ($521) were lower. (See table 13.)

Differences in earnings for workers in the four alternative arrangements reflect, in part, variations in
the occupational distributions and the demographic characteristics of the workers. For example, contract
company workers are concentrated in professional and related occupations, which tend to be more highly
paid. On the other hand, temporary help agency workers are less likely to have attended college and are
concentrated in lower-paying production, transportation, and material moving occupations.

Workers in alternative arrangements remained less likely than workers in traditional arrangements to have
employer-provided health insurance. In May 2017, 41 percent of contract company workers had employer-provided
health insurance, compared with 28 percent of on-call workers and 13 percent of temporary help agency workers.
In contrast, 53 percent of workers in traditional arrangements received health insurance benefits through
their employers. (Estimates of employer-provided health insurance were not tabulated for independent
contractors.) (See table 9.)

Although most workers in alternative arrangements did not receive health insurance through
their jobs, a large share had health insurance from some source, including coverage from another family
member's policy, through a government program, or by purchasing it on their own. Compared with workers in
traditional arrangements (84 percent) and those employed by contract companies (85 percent), workers in
the other alternative employment arrangements were less likely to be covered by health insurance from any
source. In particular, temporary help agency workers were the least likely to have health insurance from
any source (67 percent). The likelihood of having health insurance was higher for workers in all categories
in May 2017 than in February 2005, with the largest increase among temporary help agency workers.

Eligibility for employer-provided pension or retirement plans varies across employment arrangements.
In May 2017, temporary help agency workers (13 percent) and on-call workers (35 percent) were less likely to
be eligible for employer-provided plans than were contract company workers (48 percent) or those in traditional
arrangements (51 percent). Overall, the proportions of workers in alternative arrangements who actually
participated in employer-provided plans were lower than for those in traditional arrangements. (These data
were not collected for independent contractors.)  Technical Note

   The data presented in this news release were collected through a supplement to the May 2017
Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 eligible households
that provides data on employment and unemployment for the nation. The CPS is conducted
by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

   The May 2017 supplement obtained information from workers on whether they held contingent
jobs--jobs that are expected to last only a limited period of time--and whether they had
alternative employment arrangements, such as working as independent contractors, as
on-call workers, through temporary help agencies, or through contract firms. Contingent
work and alternative employment arrangements are measured separately. A person in an
alternative employment arrangement may or may not be a contingent worker. Likewise, a
contingent worker may or may not be in an alternative employment arrangement.

   Supplement questions were asked of all employed people except unpaid family workers.
For people holding more than one job, the questions referred to the characteristics
of their main job--the job in which they worked the most hours. The collection of
these data was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Chief Evaluation Office.
Additional information, including articles and archived news releases, is available online at
www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#contingent. Answers to frequently asked questions
are available online at www.bls.gov/cps/contingent-and-alternative-arrangements-faqs.htm.

   Four new questions were added to the May 2017 supplement. These questions were designed
to identify individuals who found short tasks or jobs through a mobile app or website and
were paid through the same app or website. Data from these new questions are not
included in this news release. For information about these questions, see
www.bls.gov/cps/electronically-mediated-employment.htm.

   Information in this news release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon
request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Concepts and definitions

   Information about general employment and earnings concepts in the CPS is available on
the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cps/concepts.htm.

   Defining and estimating the contingent workforce. Contingent workers are those who do
not have an explicit or implicit contract for continuing employment. Several questions
are asked in the supplement to determine whether a worker's job is contingent. These
include whether the job is temporary or not expected to continue, how long the worker
expects to be able to hold the job, and how long the worker has held the job.

   The key factor used to determine if workers fit the conceptual definition of contingent
is whether their job is temporary or not expected to continue. The first questions of
the supplement are:

   1. Some people are in temporary jobs that last for a limited time or until the
      completion of a project. Is your job temporary?

   2. Provided the economy does not change and your job performance is adequate, can
      you continue to work for your current employer as long as you wish?

   Workers who answered either "yes" to the first question or "no" to the second are then
asked a series of questions to distinguish workers who are in temporary jobs from those
who, for personal reasons, are temporarily holding jobs that offer the opportunity of
ongoing employment. A job is defined as being short term or temporary if the person
holding it is working only until the completion of a specific project, temporarily
replacing another worker, being hired for a fixed time period, filling a seasonal job
that is available only during certain times of the year, or if other business conditions
dictate that the job is short term.

   For example, a person hired for 6 months to replace a teacher on paternity leave and a
person hired to work in a company's shipping department for the holiday season would
both be considered contingent workers. In contrast, students holding jobs at fast-food
restaurants while in school might view their jobs as temporary if they intend to leave
them at the end of the school year. The jobs themselves, however, would be filled by
other workers once the students leave, and thus, the students are not contingent
workers.

   Workers also are asked how long they expect to stay in their current job and how long
they have been with their current employer. Workers are asked how long they expect to
remain in their current job because being able to hold a job for a year or more could
demonstrate at least an implicit contract for ongoing employment. In other words, the
employer's need for the worker's services is not likely to end tomorrow. Similarly, the
information on how long a worker has been with their employer shows whether a job has
been ongoing. Having remained with an employer for more than a year may demonstrate
that, at least in the past, there was an explicit or implicit contract for continuing
employment.

   To assess the impact of altering some of the defining factors on the estimated size of
the contingent workforce, three measures of contingent employment were developed, as
follows:

   Estimate 1 is the narrowest definition of contingent work. Under Estimate 1, contingent
workers are wage and salary workers who expect to work in their current job for 1 year
or less and who have worked for their current employer for 1 year or less. All self-
employed workers--both incorporated and unincorporated--and independent contractors are
excluded from the count of contingent workers under Estimate 1. Although they may face
financial risks, people who work for themselves, by definition, have ongoing employment
arrangements. Individuals who work for temporary help agencies or contracting companies
are considered contingent under Estimate 1 if they expect their employment arrangement
with the temporary help or contracting company to last for 1 year or less and they have
worked for that company for 1 year or less.

   Estimate 2 expands the definition of contingent work by including the self-employed--both
the incorporated and the unincorporated--and independent contractors who expect to be,
and have been, in such employment arrangements for 1 year or less. (The questions asked
of the self-employed are different from those asked of wage and salary workers.) In
addition, temporary help and contract company workers are classified as contingent under
Estimate 2 if they have worked and expect to work for the customers to whom they are
assigned for 1 year or less. For example, a "temp" secretary who is sent to a different
customer each week but has worked for the same temporary help agency for more than 1 year
and expects to be able to continue with that agency indefinitely is contingent under
Estimate 2, but not under Estimate 1. In contrast, a "temp" who has been assigned to a
single client for more than a year and expects to be able to stay with that client for
more than a year is not counted as contingent under either estimate.

   Estimate 3 is the broadest definition of contingent work--people who do not expect their
jobs to last--and the focus of the analysis in this news release. Estimate 3 expands the
definition of contingent work further by removing the 1-year requirement on both expected
duration of the job and current tenure for wage and salary workers. The estimate includes
all wage and salary workers who do not expect their employment to last, except for those
who, for personal reasons, expect to leave jobs that they would otherwise be able to
keep. Thus, a worker who has held a job for 5 years could be considered contingent if he
or she now views the job as temporary. The 1-year requirement on expected and current
tenure is retained for the self-employed and independent contractors.

   Defining alternative employment arrangements. Alternative employment arrangements are
determined by the workers' relationship to their employer. To provide estimates of the
number of workers in alternative employment arrangements, the supplement includes
questions about whether individuals are paid by a temporary help agency or contract
company, or whether they are on-call workers or independent contractors. (The survey
also includes questions about day laborers. Estimates for day laborers are not presented
as a separate category of alternative arrangements in this news release because the group is
very small. They are included in estimates of total employment.)

   Contingent work, which is determined by expectations about the duration of a person's
job, is a separate concept from alternative employment arrangements. Some workers are
both contingent and working in an alternative arrangement, but this is not automatically
the case.

   Definitions of the four main alternative employment arrangements follow, as well as the
key questions used to identify workers in each category:

   Independent contractors are those who are identified as independent contractors,
consultants, or freelance workers in the supplement, regardless of whether they are
identified as wage and salary workers or self-employed in the basic CPS labor force
status questions. To distinguish independent contractors from business operators such
as a restaurant owner, the supplement includes a question for workers who identified as
self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated) in the basic CPS that asks, "Are you
self-employed as an independent contractor, independent consultant, freelance worker, or
something else (such as a shop or restaurant owner)?" Those identified as wage and salary
workers in the basic CPS are asked, "Last week, were you working as an independent contractor,
an independent consultant, or a freelance worker? That is, someone who obtains customers
on their own to provide a product or service." Nearly 9 in 10 independent contractors are
self-employed. Conversely, 3 in every 5 self-employed workers are independent contractors.

   On-call workers are called into work only when they are needed. This category includes
workers who answer "yes" to the question, "Some people are in a pool of workers who are
ONLY called to work as needed, although they can be scheduled to work for several days
or weeks in a row, for example, substitute teachers and construction workers supplied by
a union hiring hall. These people are sometimes referred to as ON-CALL workers. Were you
an ON-CALL worker last week?" Individuals with regularly scheduled work, which might include
periods of being "on call" to perform work at unusual hours, such as medical residents,
are not included in this category.

   Temporary help agency workers are those who are paid by a temporary help agency. This
category includes workers who say their job is temporary and answer "yes" to the question,
"Are you paid by a temporary help agency?" Also included are workers who say their job
is not temporary and answer affirmatively to the question, "Even though you told me your
job is not temporary, are you paid by a temporary help agency?" Temporary help agency
workers include both the permanent staff of the agencies and those who are placed with
other companies in temporary assignments.

   Workers provided by contract firms are those who work for a contract company, usually
work for only one customer, and usually work at the customer's worksite. This refers
to individuals who are employed by firms who contract out their workers or their workers'
services, rather than all workers employed by firms that provide services under contract,
such as advertising agencies and law firms. This category includes workers who answer
"yes" to the question, "Some companies provide employees or their services to others
under contract. A few examples of services that can be contracted out include security,
landscaping, or computer programming. Did you work for a company that contracts out you
or your services last week?" These workers also responded "no" to the question, "Are you
usually assigned to more than one customer?" Finally, these workers responded "yes" to
the question, "Do you usually work at the customer's worksite?"

Comparability of the estimates

   The concepts of contingent work and alternative employment arrangements used in the May
2017 survey are the same as those collected in the past. The questions used to identify
these workers were essentially unchanged from past surveys. However, there are a few issues
that could affect the comparability of these estimates with those from prior years.
The prime concern is that the 2017 supplement was collected in May and earlier surveys were
conducted in February of 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2005. The seasonality of contingent
jobs and alternative employment arrangements is not known. However, any seasonality may affect
the size and composition of the contingent workforce and people working in alternative
employment arrangements. For example, a seasonal job that is only available at a certain
time each year counts as a contingent job. The number and types of these kinds of jobs
available in February and May might be different.

   Two tables in this news release present slightly different displays of data than prior
releases. Table 13 of this news release contains usual weekly earnings estimates for workers in
noncontingent and traditional arrangements, which were omitted from the February 2001 and
2005 news releases. Earnings for noncontingent and traditional workers were not collected in
February 2001 and 2005. Earnings for such workers had been published in earlier news releases.

   The estimates of workers eligible for employer-provided pension or retirement plans in
table 9 of this news release are not strictly comparable with those of earlier years because
the May 2017 estimates exclude all self-employed workers and independent contractors. In
previous years, some of these workers were included in the estimates.

   Other data presented in this news release are not strictly comparable with those for earlier
years due to several other methodological issues. Comparability of estimates over time
is affected by the introduction of population controls and changes in the classification
of industries and occupations. Additional information about comparability of data over
time is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a
sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample
estimates may differ from the true population values they represent. The component of
this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error,
and its variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a
90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ
by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population value because of sampling
error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many
reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents
to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.

   Information about the reliability of data from the CPS and guidance on estimating standard
errors is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.  Table 1. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, May 2017
        	(In thousands)
    Characteristic
	            Total employed
	            Contingent workers
	            NoncontingentworkersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3AGE AND SEXTotal, 16 years and over
            153,331
            1,958
            2,511
            5,858
            147,47316 to 19 years
            4,842
            316
            330
            501
            4,34020 to 24 years
            14,212
            567
            647
            1,110
            13,10225 to 34 years
            33,991
            472
            616
            1,419
            32,57235 to 44 years
            32,065
            271
            392
            992
            31,07345 to 54 years
            32,745
            175
            285
            817
            31,92855 to 64 years
            26,236
            116
            179
            680
            25,55665 years and over
            9,240
            41
            62
            338
            8,902Men, 16 years and over
            81,545
            1,062
            1,349
            3,085
            78,46116 to 19 years
            2,365
            166
            180
            271
            2,09320 to 24 years
            7,412
            310
            340
            560
            6,85225 to 34 years
            18,169
            274
            376
            853
            17,31635 to 44 years
            17,585
            144
            196
            503
            17,08245 to 54 years
            17,099
            94
            139
            408
            16,69155 to 64 years
            13,840
            65
            94
            337
            13,50365 years and over
            5,076
            10
            23
            152
            4,924Women, 16 years and over
            71,785
            896
            1,162
            2,773
            69,01216 to 19 years
            2,477
            150
            150
            230
            2,24720 to 24 years
            6,800
            257
            306
            550
            6,25025 to 34 years
            15,823
            198
            240
            566
            15,25735 to 44 years
            14,480
            127
            196
            489
            13,99145 to 54 years
            15,646
            81
            146
            408
            15,23855 to 64 years
            12,396
            51
            85
            343
            12,05365 years and over
            4,164
            31
            39
            186
            3,977RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITYWhite
            120,638
            1,451
            1,885
            4,428
            116,211Black or African American
            18,588
            225
            295
            742
            17,846Asian
            9,110
            182
            224
            445
            8,665Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            25,525
            435
            538
            1,299
            24,225FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUSFull-time workers
            125,240
            1,051
            1,349
            3,466
            121,774Part-time workers
            28,091
            907
            1,162
            2,391
            25,699NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 2. Distribution of employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, May 2017
        	(Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Contingent workers
	            NoncontingentworkersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3AGE AND SEXTotal, 16 years and over
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.016 to 19 years
            16.2
            13.1
            8.6
            2.920 to 24 years
            29.0
            25.8
            18.9
            8.925 to 34 years
            24.1
            24.5
            24.2
            22.135 to 44 years
            13.8
            15.6
            16.9
            21.145 to 54 years
            8.9
            11.4
            13.9
            21.755 to 64 years
            5.9
            7.1
            11.6
            17.365 years and over
            2.1
            2.5
            5.8
            6.0Men, 16 years and over
            54.2
            53.7
            52.7
            53.216 to 19 years
            8.5
            7.2
            4.6
            1.420 to 24 years
            15.8
            13.6
            9.6
            4.625 to 34 years
            14.0
            15.0
            14.6
            11.735 to 44 years
            7.3
            7.8
            8.6
            11.645 to 54 years
            4.8
            5.6
            7.0
            11.355 to 64 years
            3.3
            3.7
            5.7
            9.265 years and over
            0.5
            0.9
            2.6
            3.3Women, 16 years and over
            45.8
            46.3
            47.3
            46.816 to 19 years
            7.7
            6.0
            3.9
            1.520 to 24 years
            13.1
            12.2
            9.4
            4.225 to 34 years
            10.1
            9.6
            9.7
            10.335 to 44 years
            6.5
            7.8
            8.3
            9.545 to 54 years
            4.2
            5.8
            7.0
            10.355 to 64 years
            2.6
            3.4
            5.9
            8.265 years and over
            1.6
            1.5
            3.2
            2.7RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITYWhite
            74.1
            75.1
            75.6
            78.8Black or African American
            11.5
            11.8
            12.7
            12.1Asian
            9.3
            8.9
            7.6
            5.9Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            22.2
            21.4
            22.2
            16.4FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUSFull-time workers
            53.7
            53.7
            59.2
            82.6Part-time workers
            46.3
            46.3
            40.8
            17.4NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 3. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by school enrollment and educational attainment, May 2017
            (Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Contingent workers
	            NoncontingentworkersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3SCHOOL ENROLLMENTTotal, 16 to 24 years (thousands)
            884
            977
            1,611
            17,442Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Enrolled in school
            60.1
            59.2
            61.6
            35.7Not enrolled in school
            39.9
            40.8
            38.4
            64.3Less than a high school diploma
            3.3
            3.8
            4.6
            5.3High school graduates, no college(1)
            12.5
            13.5
            13.9
            27.7Some college or associate degree
            15.3
            14.9
            11.5
            19.5Bachelor's degree and higher(2)
            8.9
            8.6
            8.3
            11.7EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTTotal, 25 to 64 years (thousands)
            1,034
            1,472
            3,908
            121,129Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Less than a high school diploma
            13.0
            13.1
            13.5
            7.0High school graduates, no college(1)
            23.8
            21.2
            22.1
            25.2Some college or associate degree
            23.4
            24.5
            20.9
            27.2Bachelor's degree and higher(2)
            39.8
            41.2
            43.5
            40.6(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 4. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by occupation and industry, May 2017
            (Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Contingent workers
	            NoncontingentworkersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3OCCUPATIONTotal, 16 years and over (thousands)
            1,958
            2,511
            5,858
            147,473Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Management, professional, and related occupations
            31.0
            33.3
            39.1
            40.7Management, business, and financial operations occupations
            5.6
            7.4
            7.9
            17.2Professional and related occupations
            25.4
            25.9
            31.2
            23.5Service occupations
            18.2
            18.8
            17.1
            17.2Sales and office occupations
            20.7
            18.0
            16.2
            21.5Sales and related occupations
            5.1
            5.2
            4.9
            10.1Office and administrative support occupations
            15.5
            12.8
            11.3
            11.4Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
            15.1
            15.8
            15.3
            9.0Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
            3.5
            2.7
            2.7
            0.7Construction and extraction occupations
            11.0
            11.5
            10.6
            5.0Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
            0.6
            1.6
            2.0
            3.2Production, transportation, and material moving occupations
            14.9
            14.1
            12.2
            11.6Production occupations
            4.9
            4.6
            4.6
            5.8Transportation and material moving occupations
            10.0
            9.5
            7.7
            5.8INDUSTRYTotal, 16 years and over (thousands)
            1,958
            2,511
            5,858
            147,473Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Agriculture and related industries
            4.5
            4.0
            3.2
            1.6Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
            0.4
            0.3
            0.2
            0.5Construction
            9.6
            10.9
            10.8
            6.7Manufacturing
            6.5
            5.8
            6.3
            10.6Wholesale trade
            1.5
            1.1
            1.0
            2.3Retail trade
            8.5
            8.1
            6.2
            10.7Transportation and utilities
            3.8
            5.5
            4.1
            5.1Information
            1.6
            1.5
            1.6
            1.9Financial activities
            1.9
            2.3
            2.6
            7.1Professional and business services
            12.7
            16.3
            14.9
            12.0Education and health services
            29.1
            25.3
            31.3
            22.7Leisure and hospitality
            12.1
            10.1
            9.3
            9.3Other services
            5.2
            6.7
            5.3
            4.9Public administration
            2.7
            2.1
            3.3
            4.7NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 5. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by selected characteristics, May 2017
        	(In thousands)
    Characteristic
	            Total employed
	            Workers with alternative arrangements
	            Workers withtraditionalarrangementsIndependentcontractors
	            On-callworkers
	            Temporaryhelp agencyworkers
	            Workersprovided bycontract firmsAGE AND SEXTotal, 16 years and over
            153,331
            10,614
            2,579
            1,356
            933
            137,85316 to 19 years
            4,842
            43
            107
            25
            14
            4,64720 to 24 years
            14,212
            330
            263
            195
            53
            13,37025 to 34 years
            33,991
            1,593
            516
            303
            224
            31,36135 to 44 years
            32,065
            2,160
            565
            283
            207
            28,84945 to 54 years
            32,745
            2,562
            446
            276
            206
            29,26355 to 64 years
            26,236
            2,426
            399
            170
            124
            23,11065 years and over
            9,240
            1,500
            283
            105
            106
            7,253Men, 16 years and over
            81,545
            6,820
            1,355
            709
            625
            72,03516 to 19 years
            2,365
            42
            53
            20
            9
            2,23520 to 24 years
            7,412
            187
            169
            100
            28
            6,93125 to 34 years
            18,169
            1,016
            271
            170
            157
            16,55435 to 44 years
            17,585
            1,430
            329
            122
            144
            15,55745 to 54 years
            17,099
            1,611
            208
            166
            146
            14,97155 to 64 years
            13,840
            1,547
            209
            81
            81
            11,91465 years and over
            5,076
            986
            117
            50
            60
            3,873Women, 16 years and over
            71,785
            3,794
            1,224
            647
            308
            65,81816 to 19 years
            2,477
            1
            55
            5
            5
            2,41220 to 24 years
            6,800
            143
            94
            95
            25
            6,43925 to 34 years
            15,823
            577
            245
            133
            67
            14,80735 to 44 years
            14,480
            730
            237
            161
            63
            13,29245 to 54 years
            15,646
            951
            238
            110
            60
            14,29255 to 64 years
            12,396
            878
            190
            88
            44
            11,19665 years and over
            4,164
            514
            166
            55
            45
            3,380RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITYWhite
            120,638
            8,975
            2,019
            797
            614
            108,237Black or African American
            18,588
            880
            323
            351
            132
            16,902Asian
            9,110
            461
            129
            104
            115
            8,297Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            25,525
            1,566
            449
            345
            163
            22,973FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUSFull-time workers
            125,240
            7,485
            1,428
            1,042
            785
            114,496Part-time workers
            28,091
            3,129
            1,151
            314
            148
            23,357NOTE: Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Detail may not add to totals because the total employed includes day laborers (an alternative arrangement, not shown separately) and there are a small number of workers who were both "on call" and "provided by contract firms."  Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 6. Distribution of employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by selected characteristics, May 2017
        	(Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Workers with alternative arrangements
	            Workers withtraditionalarrangementsIndependentcontractors
	            On-call workers
	            Temporary helpagency workers
	            Workersprovided bycontract firmsAGE AND SEXTotal, 16 years and over
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.016 to 19 years
            0.4
            4.2
            1.9
            1.5
            3.420 to 24 years
            3.1
            10.2
            14.4
            5.6
            9.725 to 34 years
            15.0
            20.0
            22.3
            23.9
            22.735 to 44 years
            20.4
            21.9
            20.9
            22.2
            20.945 to 54 years
            24.1
            17.3
            20.3
            22.1
            21.255 to 64 years
            22.9
            15.5
            12.5
            13.3
            16.865 years and over
            14.1
            11.0
            7.7
            11.3
            5.3Men, 16 years and over
            64.3
            52.5
            52.3
            67.0
            52.316 to 19 years
            0.4
            2.0
            1.5
            1.0
            1.620 to 24 years
            1.8
            6.5
            7.4
            3.0
            5.025 to 34 years
            9.6
            10.5
            12.5
            16.8
            12.035 to 44 years
            13.5
            12.7
            9.0
            15.4
            11.345 to 54 years
            15.2
            8.1
            12.2
            15.7
            10.955 to 64 years
            14.6
            8.1
            6.0
            8.6
            8.665 years and over
            9.3
            4.5
            3.7
            6.5
            2.8Women, 16 years and over
            35.7
            47.5
            47.7
            33.0
            47.716 to 19 years
            0.0
            2.1
            0.4
            0.5
            1.720 to 24 years
            1.3
            3.7
            7.0
            2.6
            4.725 to 34 years
            5.4
            9.5
            9.8
            7.1
            10.735 to 44 years
            6.9
            9.2
            11.8
            6.8
            9.645 to 54 years
            9.0
            9.2
            8.1
            6.4
            10.455 to 64 years
            8.3
            7.4
            6.5
            4.7
            8.165 years and over
            4.8
            6.4
            4.1
            4.9
            2.5RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITYWhite
            84.6
            78.3
            58.8
            65.8
            78.5Black or African American
            8.3
            12.5
            25.9
            14.1
            12.3Asian
            4.3
            5.0
            7.7
            12.3
            6.0Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            14.8
            17.4
            25.4
            17.4
            16.7FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUSFull-time workers
            70.5
            55.4
            76.9
            84.1
            83.1Part-time workers
            29.5
            44.6
            23.1
            15.9
            16.9NOTE:  Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.  Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 7. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by school enrollment and educational attainment, May 2017
        	(Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Workers with alternative arrangements
	            Workers withtraditionalarrangementsIndependentcontractors
	            On-call workers
	            Temporary helpagency workers
	            Workersprovided bycontract firmsSCHOOL ENROLLMENTTotal, 16 to 24 years (thousands)
            373
            370
            220
            67
            18,018Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            -
            100.0Enrolled in school
            22.6
            39.8
            14.0
            -
            38.5Not enrolled in school
            77.4
            60.2
            86.0
            -
            61.5Less than a high school diploma
            7.1
            9.8
            13.6
            -
            5.0High school graduates, no college(1)
            37.0
            17.9
            43.9
            -
            26.2Some college or associate degree
            22.0
            24.6
            17.6
            -
            18.7Bachelor's degree and higher(2)
            11.3
            7.9
            11.0
            -
            11.5EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTTotal, 25 to 64 years (thousands)
            8,741
            1,926
            1,031
            761
            112,582Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Less than a high school diploma
            9.7
            10.6
            10.5
            4.0
            6.9High school graduates, no college(1)
            24.6
            26.7
            37.1
            27.4
            25.0Some college or associate degree
            26.8
            28.8
            26.0
            25.4
            27.0Bachelor's degree and higher(2)
            38.9
            33.9
            26.3
            43.1
            41.1(1) Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.(2) Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.NOTE:  Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).  Table 8. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by occupation and industry, May 2017
        	(Percent distribution)
    Characteristic
	            Workers with alternative arrangements
	            Workers withtraditionalarrangementsIndependentcontractors
	            On-callworkers
	            Temporaryhelp agencyworkers
	            Workersprovided bycontract firmsOCCUPATIONTotal, 16 years and over (thousands)
            10,614
            2,579
            1,356
            933
            137,853Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Management, professional, and related occupations
            43.4
            35.6
            21.7
            49.1
            40.7Management, business, and financial operations occupations
            23.9
            5.3
            4.6
            13.9
            16.7Professional and related occupations
            19.5
            30.3
            17.1
            35.1
            24.0Service occupations
            18.1
            23.7
            13.8
            24.6
            17.0Sales and office occupations
            16.0
            11.3
            19.3
            6.5
            22.0Sales and related occupations
            13.5
            4.5
            2.8
            2.4
            9.8Office and administrative support occupations
            2.5
            6.8
            16.5
            4.1
            12.1Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations
            15.9
            16.1
            6.1
            13.3
            8.5Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
            0.4
            1.2
            0.4
            0.4
            0.8Construction and extraction occupations
            12.1
            11.7
            3.4
            8.8
            4.5Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
            3.3
            3.2
            2.2
            4.0
            3.2Production, transportation, and material moving occupations
            6.7
            13.2
            39.2
            6.6
            11.8Production occupations
            1.7
            2.6
            19.8
            2.2
            6.0Transportation and material moving occupations
            5.0
            10.6
            19.3
            4.4
            5.8INDUSTRYTotal, 16 years and over (thousands)
            10,614
            2,579
            1,356
            933
            137,853Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Agriculture and related industries
            2.0
            1.8
            0.4
            0.4
            1.6Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
            0.1
            0.8
            0.6
            1.6
            0.5Construction
            19.3
            11.4
            3.6
            7.2
            5.8Manufacturing
            2.2
            3.7
            32.2
            12.0
            11.1Wholesale trade
            1.5
            1.1
            3.6
            1.0
            2.3Retail trade
            6.4
            6.0
            1.2
            3.2
            11.1Transportation and utilities
            5.7
            8.6
            3.0
            6.6
            5.0Information
            2.2
            2.3
            1.9
            2.0
            1.9Financial activities
            9.6
            3.4
            4.2
            8.5
            6.9Professional and business services
            25.1
            6.6
            26.8
            17.0
            10.7Education and health services
            9.6
            35.3
            15.0
            18.3
            24.0Leisure and hospitality
            6.2
            10.1
            2.0
            4.4
            9.6Other services
            9.7
            4.6
            3.1
            2.5
            4.6Public administration
            0.4
            4.2
            1.2
            14.7
            5.0NOTE:  Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  For temporary help agency workers and workers provided by contract firms, the industry classification is that of the place to which they were assigned.  For a very small percentage of these workers, the industry was not provided.  Table 9. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers and those with alternative and traditional work arrangements by health insurance coverage and eligibility for employer-provided pension or retirement plans, May 2017
    Characteristic
	            Total employed(thousands)
	            Percent with health insurancecoverage
	            Percent eligible for employer-provided pension or retirement plan(1)Total
	            Provided byemployer(1)
	            Total
	            Included inemployer-providedplanContingent workers:Estimate 1
            1,958
            75.1
            13.4
            14.2
            8.3Estimate 2
            2,511
            72.2
            12.0
            12.2
            7.3Estimate 3
            5,858
            73.4
            25.1
            23.4
            18.4Noncontingent workers
            147,473
            83.5
            49.8
            47.6
            43.4With alternative arrangements:Independent contractors
            10,614
            75.4
            -
            -
            -On-call workers
            2,579
            77.0
            28.2
            35.4
            30.1Temporary help agency workers
            1,356
            67.3
            12.8
            12.7
            6.6Workers provided by contract firms
            933
            85.3
            41.3
            48.1
            38.3With traditional arrangements
            137,853
            84.0
            53.4
            50.8
            46.3(1) Excludes the self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated) and independent contractors.- Not applicable.
					NOTE:  Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Table 10. Employed contingent workers by their preference for contingent or noncontingent work arrangements, May 2017
            (Percent distribution)
    Preference
	            Contingent workersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3Total, 16 years and over (thousands)
            1,958
            2,511
            5,858Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Prefer noncontingent employment
            62.5
            58.8
            55.1Prefer contingent employment
            29.9
            31.8
            32.8It depends
            7.0
            8.5
            9.5Not available
            0.6
            0.9
            2.6NOTE:  Noncontingent employment refers to work that does not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 11. Employed workers with alternative work arrangements by their preference for a traditional work arrangement, May 2017
            (Percent distribution)
    Preference
	            Independent contractors
 	            On-call workers
	            Temporary help agencyworkersTotal, 16 years and over (thousands)
            10,614
            2,579
            1,356Percent
            100.0
            100.0
            100.0Prefer traditional arrangement
            8.8
            43.0
            46.4Prefer alternative arrangement
            79.1
            43.8
            38.5It depends
            7.5
            12.2
            12.1Not available
            4.5
            1.0
            3.0NOTE:  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Table 12. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by contingent and noncontingent employment, May 2017
    Arrangement
	            Total(thousands)
 	            Percent distributionContingent workers
	            NoncontingentworkersEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3With alternative arrangements:Independent contractors
            10,614
            -
            3.2
            3.2
            96.8On-call workers
            2,579
            7.7
            7.8
            21.1
            78.9Temporary help agency workers
            1,356
            16.8
            22.9
            42.0
            58.0Workers provided by contract firms
            933
            3.6
            5.1
            15.0
            85.0With traditional arrangements
            137,853
            1.0
            1.1
            3.1
            96.9- Not applicable.  Excludes independent contractors and the self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated).
					NOTE:  Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Table 13. Median usual weekly earnings of full- and part-time contingent and noncontingent wage and salary workers and those with alternative and traditional work arrangements by sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, May 2017
    Characteristic
	            Contingent workers
	            Noncontingentworkers
 	            Workers with alternative arrangements
	            Workers withtraditionalarrangementsEstimate 1
	            Estimate 2
	            Estimate 3
	            Independentcontractors
	            On-callworkers
	            Temporaryhelpagencyworkers
	            Workersprovidedby contractfirmsFULL-TIME WORKERSTotal, 16 years and over
            $592
            $611
            $685
            $886
            $851
            $797
            $521
            $1,077
            $884Men
            609
            653
            719
            957
            897
            860
            522
            1,157
            953Women
            524
            587
            625
            808
            738
            673
            520
            673
            809White
            568
            595
            702
            914
            895
            814
            511
            1,118
            913Black or African American
            602
            609
            581
            699
            654
            748
            520
            740
            697Asian
            956
            995
            1,042
            1,153
            990
            -
            1,058
            1,519
            1,147Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            467
            475
            524
            686
            700
            676
            492
            964
            685PART-TIME WORKERSTotal, 16 years and over
            197
            197
            228
            257
            333
            229
            263
            322
            255Men
            187
            186
            233
            262
            377
            295
            297
            -
            256Women
            206
            205
            224
            255
            307
            211
            246
            303
            254White
            199
            198
            229
            266
            342
            236
            257
            339
            264Black or African American
            160
            160
            203
            221
            294
            182
            252
            -
            224Asian
            262
            262
            269
            222
            487
            213
            -
            -
            215Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
            220
            221
            264
            254
            272
            316
            305
            -
            253Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 75,000).
					NOTE:  Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories.  Earnings data for contingent and noncontingent workers exclude the incorporated self-employed and independent contractors.  Data for independent contractors include the incorporated and unincorporated self-employed; these groups, however, are excluded from the data for workers with other alternative and traditional arrangements.  Full- or part-time status is determined by hours usually worked at sole or primary job.  Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
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