MBO Partners

If youíre looking for a freelance writing job, thereís a lot of competition out there. Though estimates vary, a 2014 report from MBO Partners estimates that†there are more than 40 million freelancers†when you include contractors, part-timers, contingent workers, temps, and the underemployed, as well as those who are full-employed freelancers.

It may be possible to earn $252,000 a year on Uber, but a high income is far from the rule among people who work through platforms for independent workers, according to newly released data from†by MBO Partners, a firm in Herndon, Va., that†studies the independent economy.

Motivated by the desire for more control over their work or a lack of jobs in their field, more people are working independently by starting their own companies or freelancing on the side, according to a report by MBO Partners.

“The way our government is funded is mostly through payroll taxes,” he says. “It is funded by very large companies that have large constituencies of employees.” The upshot is government officials see independent workers as a sort of nuisance, because they must declare income before the agencies can grab it. Therefore, they aren’t particularly inclined to…

Gene Zaino, CEO of contractor management services provider MBO Partners, says more and more companies are moving toward SOW engagements because they ìlike to have a little more budget integrity. People like to buy results rather than buy effort.î Itís easier to buy a deliverable with a fixed price and can be an easier way…

It is time for an infrastructure that helps these independents pay their taxes, and provides them access to benefits. We need better systems and processes to educate, calculate and ensure that the fully burdened costs of self-employment are integrated into independent work arrangements. Further, consumers of independent contractor services must pay for the fully burdened…

“When an independent contractor files a claim for benefits, state-required paperwork that asks about other income can uncover an independent contractor arrangement, which leads to more questions,” said Gene Zaino, president and CEO of MBO Partners. “This can have a ripple effect if the worker is found to have been misclassified and a more detailed…

A large pool of skilled freelancers awaits to fill these roles. Part of the reason is that entrepreneurialism is celebrated as a viable way of life these days, prompting more millennials to consciously pursue it. MBO Partners, a management service for independent professionals, reports that 29% of generation Y respondents opted to go independent after…