Gig economy statistics show a free market system where organizations and independent workers engage in short-term work arrangements. BLS data suggest that in 2017 the US gig economy had 55 million participants. It's estimated that 36% of US workers take part in the gig economy and 33% of companies extensively use gig workers. The word “gig” refers to the transient nature of the job itself. The gig economy definition encompasses all sorts of contingent work arrangements, for example: Freelancers Consultants Independent contractors and professionals Temps (temporary contract workers)