A recent survey by LinkedIn found that 70% of U.S. small businesses have hired a freelancer in the past and about 50% currently are using freelancers. LinkedIn also found most SMBs plan to hire more freelancers in the future. MORE
We recently released our new coworking forecast for 2018-2022. We are projecting continued rapid growth over the next 5 years, although slower than the industry's recent dizzying pace. The forecast was done this year with help from our friends at GCUC. MORE
One of findings that most surprised us when we first started researching independent workers was how many think independent work is more secure than traditional jobs. MORE
The report The Rise of the Expert Economy is a interesting look at what it calls a "little-known, high-growth sector, made up of networks that connect experts with companies that need them." MORE
The U.S. Census recently released the 2016 nonemployer business statistics. Key quote from their press release : nonemployer establishments increased 2.0 percent from 24,331,403 in 2015 to 24,813,048 in 2016. Receipts increased 1.5 percent from $1.15 trillion in 2015 to $1.17 trillion in 2016. MORE
Uber unveiled a flying taxi eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) prototype at its recent Elevate conference. The prototype (below) is a cross between a really big drone and a small airplane. MORE
A recent academic study found that many ridesharing drivers do so to help them work through financial shocks and smooth income volatility. The study only looked at rideshare drivers. But it points out that these benefits should extend to any highly flexible part-time employment. MORE
In the 1950's about 5% of full time U.S. workers had a professional, occupation license. Today about 23% do. This data comes the interesting HBR article More and More Jobs Today Require a License. That’s Good for Some Workers, but Not Always for Consumers. MORE
The online freelance talent marketplace Upwork filed last week to go public. According to the filing, Upwork has 375,000 registered freelancers and 475,000 client businesses located across 180 countries. The company reported sales of $164.4 million in 2016 and $202.6 MORE
SAP Fieldglass's External Workforce Insights 2018 study, 44% of workforce spend at large corporation is on external, non-employee talent. MORE
PNR: This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose can be found on both iTunes and Stitcher. . In our grand finale episode, Robert kicks things off by pondering the decision to end something, so that something else can begin. MORE
Bloomberg's Inside Google's Shadow Workforce covers the use by Google of what they call TVCs, or “temps, vendors and contractors" According to the article about half of Google's workforce is comprised of TVCs. MORE
Duluth's Lincoln Park neighborhood was until recently a rundown section of this lake front city in Minnesota, with many empty storefronts and buildings. But now Lincoln Park is the center of a new artisan business boom. MORE
According to Coworking Resources , a site that provides information for coworking space owners, 189 coworking spaces are opening around the world this month. As their chart below shows, over half of these openings are new, independent coworking spaces. MORE
Since the founding of Emergent Research nearly two decades ago, our mantra has been follow the data to where it leads us. This requires us to minimize the impact of potential biases in our work. MORE
A new academic study reports that the self-employed are happier and more engaged at work than traditional employees are. The reason, according to the study, is they have greater levels of autonomy than traditional employees. MORE
The New York Times article How to Retire in Your 30s With $1 Million in the Bank nicely covers the " growing movement of young professionals who are intently focused on quitting their jobs forever." MORE
The CNN Money article 5 signs you were meant to work for yourself caught our eye for several reasons. First, the five reasons listed in the article are consistent with our research findings on the self-employed. The second reason is the article had no data backing up the five signs. MORE
Bankrate recently released a survey showing that 37% of Americans have some sort of side job. The survey was of adult Americans , of which there are about 250 million. This means the survey found about 92 million Americans have side hustles. MORE
The Johns Hopkins Non-Profit Economic Data Project recently released new data on the the non-profit sector of the economy. The data is for 2016 (the most recent available) and was developed in conjunction with the U.S. BLS ( click here to go the BLS's non-profit data landing page ). MORE
7 Tips to Start Small Scale Manufacturing - Business Ideas for Product Makers is a fun and interesting video designed to help makers and other small manufacturers build their business. The video, below, is from the YouTube maker video channel from the highly energetic Evan and Katelyn. MORE
151 A study out of the University of Minnesota found that in Minnesota while the younger adults were leaving small, rural towns, people in their thirties, forties and fifties were returning. The chart below shows the key findings from the study. MORE
Amazon opened their brick and mortar, cashier-less store of the future today in Seattle. Called Amazon Go , it looks like a very high-tech version of a 7-11 convenience store. It has a selection of salads, sandwiches and beverages (including beer and wine), ready-to-eat meals, produce and meats. MORE
Fiverr's Understanding the Impact of the Freelance Economy study focuses on what they call "specialized freelancers" These are independent workers who provide professional, technical, or creative services. As the report chart below shows, there are about 2.5 MORE
Yardi Matrix , a provider of real estate industry data and research, has released an interesting coworking study. They've also written an article - Shared Space: Coworking's Rising Star - summarizing their results. MORE
The IRS released their 2016 tax data on sole proprietors. The data covers business receipts, deductions, and net income reported by taxpayers on Schedule C of tax Form 1040. MORE
MBO Partners released their 2018 State of Independence report this week. This is the 8th annual report in this series, making it the longest running look at independent work. Emergent Research (that's us) contributes to this study. MORE
Coworking has reached the size and scale where it's starting to have second order impacts on the broader real estate industry. Farthest along is coworking's impact on office design. MORE
A new research report by financial giant UBS suggests that millennials are ditching the kitchen and instead opting for food delivery in a report titled “Is the Kitchen Dead.”. The report is not available to the public and we haven't seen it. MORE
Last week Gallup released the results of their Gig Economy and Alternative Work Arrangements study. Gallup found that 36% of U.S. workers are gig workers. Key quote from their report: "Gallup estimates that 29% of all workers in the U.S. MORE
The Conference Board recently released survey results that found "51 percent of U.S. employees feel overall satisfied with their job." " This is quite a bit lower than the level reported by independent workers in the 2018 MBO Partners State of Independence study. MORE
In 1936 George Orwell pointed out that one of the main difficulties of owning an independent bookstore is turning a profit. This, of course, was long before Amazon. MORE
MBO Partners last week released Digital Nomadism: A Rising Trend , a research brief on digital nomads. We worked with MBO Partners on this study. Digital Nomads are wanderers who have a location-independent lifestyle that allows them to travel and work anywhere they can plug into the Internet. MORE
The title of this post is a quote from the NY Times article Sorry, Power-Lunchers. This Restaurant Is a Co-Working Space Now. The article covers Spacious , a startup that transforms unused space - especially restaurants outside of meal times - into shared workspaces. MORE
Liquidspace's Q4, 2017 U.S. Flexible Office Report covers the continued growth of coworking and other forms of flexible offices. MORE
Social isolation and loneliness are related, but not the same thing. Social isolation refers to having relatively few relationships and/or infrequent contact with others. Loneliness MORE
The large, global health services company Cigna recently released their U.S. Loneliness Index , which found loneliness in the U.S. is at "epidemic levels" The key findings include: Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone (46 percent) or left out (47 percent). MORE
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) caused quite a stir yesterday with the release of their 2017 Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangement (CWS) survey results. Specifically, the report shows that the share of U.S. gig/contract workers in the U.S. MORE
The tech site Silicon Republic recently had a full week of stories on the future of work in the careers section - 15 stories in total. Our favorite is These are 3 of the most pervasive future of work myths. The article's 3 myths, which we agree with, are: AI will totally replace humans. We're entering a work-free future. Only stem skills will be important. See the article for more on why these are myths. And see the whole series. MORE
Several interesting recent stories illustrate how coworking, social clubs and gyms are merging. CNBC's Companies are making gyms their headquarters - here's why covers gyms that also have coworking spaces. MORE
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
The Johns Hopkins Non-Profit Economic Data Project recently released new data on the the non-profit sector of the economy. The data is for 2016 (the most recent available) and was developed in conjunction with the U.S. BLS ( click here to go the BLS's non-profit data landing page ).
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018
7 Tips to Start Small Scale Manufacturing - Business Ideas for Product Makers is a fun and interesting video designed to help makers and other small manufacturers build their business. The video, below, is from the YouTube maker video channel from the highly energetic Evan and Katelyn.
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
The IRS released their 2016 tax data on sole proprietors. The data covers business receipts, deductions, and net income reported by taxpayers on Schedule C of tax Form 1040.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 16, 2018
A study out of the University of Minnesota found that in Minnesota while the younger adults were leaving small, rural towns, people in their thirties, forties and fifties were returning. The chart below shows the key findings from the study.
Small Business Labs
JUNE 27, 2018
The U.S. Census recently released the 2016 nonemployer business statistics. Key quote from their press release : nonemployer establishments increased 2.0 percent from 24,331,403 in 2015 to 24,813,048 in 2016. Receipts increased 1.5 percent from $1.15 trillion in 2015 to $1.17 trillion in 2016.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 28, 2018
A recent survey by LinkedIn found that 70% of U.S. small businesses have hired a freelancer in the past and about 50% currently are using freelancers. LinkedIn also found most SMBs plan to hire more freelancers in the future.
Small Business Labs
JULY 31, 2018
One of findings that most surprised us when we first started researching independent workers was how many think independent work is more secure than traditional jobs.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 13, 2018
Coworking has reached the size and scale where it's starting to have second order impacts on the broader real estate industry. Farthest along is coworking's impact on office design.
Small Business Labs
APRIL 8, 2018
Duluth's Lincoln Park neighborhood was until recently a rundown section of this lake front city in Minnesota, with many empty storefronts and buildings. But now Lincoln Park is the center of a new artisan business boom.
Small Business Labs
APRIL 16, 2018
According to a report from the global financial giant UBS , 72% of Millennials say starting a business appeals to them. But at the same time, most say it's too risky to do.
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
The New York Times article How to Retire in Your 30s With $1 Million in the Bank nicely covers the " growing movement of young professionals who are intently focused on quitting their jobs forever."
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 21, 2018
Last week Gallup released the results of their Gig Economy and Alternative Work Arrangements study. Gallup found that 36% of U.S. workers are gig workers. Key quote from their report: "Gallup estimates that 29% of all workers in the U.S.
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
The tech site Silicon Republic recently had a full week of stories on the future of work in the careers section - 15 stories in total. Our favorite is These are 3 of the most pervasive future of work myths. The article's 3 myths, which we agree with, are: AI will totally replace humans. We're entering a work-free future. Only stem skills will be important. See the article for more on why these are myths. And see the whole series.
Small Business Labs
MAY 15, 2018
SAP Fieldglass's External Workforce Insights 2018 study, 44% of workforce spend at large corporation is on external, non-employee talent.
Small Business Labs
APRIL 10, 2018
Liquidspace's Q4, 2017 U.S. Flexible Office Report covers the continued growth of coworking and other forms of flexible offices.
Small Business Labs
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
MBO Partners last week released Digital Nomadism: A Rising Trend , a research brief on digital nomads. We worked with MBO Partners on this study. Digital Nomads are wanderers who have a location-independent lifestyle that allows them to travel and work anywhere they can plug into the Internet.
Small Business Labs
JULY 9, 2018
The report The Rise of the Expert Economy is a interesting look at what it calls a "little-known, high-growth sector, made up of networks that connect experts with companies that need them."
Small Business Labs
JULY 10, 2018
Bankrate recently released a survey showing that 37% of Americans have some sort of side job. The survey was of adult Americans , of which there are about 250 million. This means the survey found about 92 million Americans have side hustles.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 20, 2018
According to Coworking Resources , a site that provides information for coworking space owners, 189 coworking spaces are opening around the world this month. As their chart below shows, over half of these openings are new, independent coworking spaces.
Small Business Labs
MAY 24, 2018
Uber unveiled a flying taxi eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) prototype at its recent Elevate conference. The prototype (below) is a cross between a really big drone and a small airplane.
Small Business Labs
JULY 23, 2018
Since the founding of Emergent Research nearly two decades ago, our mantra has been follow the data to where it leads us. This requires us to minimize the impact of potential biases in our work.
Small Business Labs
MARCH 19, 2018
A new academic study reports that the self-employed are happier and more engaged at work than traditional employees are. The reason, according to the study, is they have greater levels of autonomy than traditional employees.
Small Business Labs
DECEMBER 18, 2017
We recently released our new coworking forecast for 2018-2022. We are projecting continued rapid growth over the next 5 years, although slower than the industry's recent dizzying pace. The forecast was done this year with help from our friends at GCUC.
Small Business Labs
JANUARY 22, 2018
Amazon opened their brick and mortar, cashier-less store of the future today in Seattle. Called Amazon Go , it looks like a very high-tech version of a 7-11 convenience store. It has a selection of salads, sandwiches and beverages (including beer and wine), ready-to-eat meals, produce and meats.
Small Business Labs
JULY 26, 2018
Bloomberg's Inside Google's Shadow Workforce covers the use by Google of what they call TVCs, or “temps, vendors and contractors" According to the article about half of Google's workforce is comprised of TVCs.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 30, 2018
The Conference Board recently released survey results that found "51 percent of U.S. employees feel overall satisfied with their job." " This is quite a bit lower than the level reported by independent workers in the 2018 MBO Partners State of Independence study.
Small Business Labs
APRIL 3, 2018
A recent academic study found that many ridesharing drivers do so to help them work through financial shocks and smooth income volatility. The study only looked at rideshare drivers. But it points out that these benefits should extend to any highly flexible part-time employment.
Small Business Labs
JUNE 28, 2018
A new research report by financial giant UBS suggests that millennials are ditching the kitchen and instead opting for food delivery in a report titled “Is the Kitchen Dead.”. The report is not available to the public and we haven't seen it.
Small Business Labs
JULY 24, 2018
According to the Reuters article 'Coworking' surge in Manhattan raises asset-liability quandary : "The amount of office leasing by “coworking” firms in Manhattan is nearing 10 percent of all new leases, a sign of growing demand for short-term contracts by companies seeking workspace."
Small Business Labs
MAY 14, 2018
The large, global health services company Cigna recently released their U.S. Loneliness Index , which found loneliness in the U.S. is at "epidemic levels" The key findings include: Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone (46 percent) or left out (47 percent).
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 13, 2018
Yardi Matrix , a provider of real estate industry data and research, has released an interesting coworking study. They've also written an article - Shared Space: Coworking's Rising Star - summarizing their results.
Small Business Labs
AUGUST 14, 2018
The CNN Money article 5 signs you were meant to work for yourself caught our eye for several reasons. First, the five reasons listed in the article are consistent with our research findings on the self-employed. The second reason is the article had no data backing up the five signs.
Small Business Labs
MAY 10, 2018
Fiverr's Understanding the Impact of the Freelance Economy study focuses on what they call "specialized freelancers" These are independent workers who provide professional, technical, or creative services. As the report chart below shows, there are about 2.5
Small Business Labs
JULY 12, 2018
MBO Partners released their 2018 State of Independence report this week. This is the 8th annual report in this series, making it the longest running look at independent work. Emergent Research (that's us) contributes to this study.
Small Business Labs
JUNE 8, 2018
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) caused quite a stir yesterday with the release of their 2017 Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangement (CWS) survey results. Specifically, the report shows that the share of U.S. gig/contract workers in the U.S.
Small Business Labs
MAY 3, 2018
In the 1950's about 5% of full time U.S. workers had a professional, occupation license. Today about 23% do. This data comes the interesting HBR article More and More Jobs Today Require a License. That’s Good for Some Workers, but Not Always for Consumers.
Small Business Labs
APRIL 2, 2018
In 1936 George Orwell pointed out that one of the main difficulties of owning an independent bookstore is turning a profit. This, of course, was long before Amazon.
Small Business Labs
FEBRUARY 6, 2018
Social isolation and loneliness are related, but not the same thing. Social isolation refers to having relatively few relationships and/or infrequent contact with others. Loneliness
Small Business Labs
JUNE 11, 2018
Several interesting recent stories illustrate how coworking, social clubs and gyms are merging. CNBC's Companies are making gyms their headquarters - here's why covers gyms that also have coworking spaces.
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