Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 99-362 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, December 21, 1999 CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, FEBRUARY 1999 The proportion of U.S. workers holding contingent jobs was about unchanged between February 1997 and February 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Contingent workers are persons who hold jobs that are temporary or not expected to last. Using three alternative measures, contingent workers comprised 1.9 to 4.3 percent of total employment in February 1999. (See table A.) In February 1997, the estimates were not much different, ranging from 1.9 to 4.4 percent; in February 1995, the first year the survey was conducted, the estimates ranged from 2.2 to 4.9 percent. The period between February 1995 and February 1999 was one of strong employment growth and falling unemployment. The analysis in this release focuses on the broadest estimate of contingent workers--all those who do not expect their current job to last. The February 1999 survey also identified workers with alternative employment arrangements. There were 8.2 million workers (6.3 percent of the total employed) who were identified as independent contractors, 2.0 million (1.5 percent) who worked on-call, 1.2 million (0.9 percent) who worked for temporary help agencies, and 769,000 (0.6 percent) who worked for contract firms. Between February 1997 and February 1999, the proportion of workers employed as independent contractors declined, while the proportions employed in the other three alternative work arrangements were little changed. From February 1995 to February 1997, the proportions in all four categories were little changed. A worker's employment arrangement could be both contingent and alternative, since contingent work is defined separately from the four alternative employment arrangements. The proportion of workers in alternative employment arrangements who also are classified as contingent (under estimate 3 in table A) ranged from 3 percent for independent contractors to 56 percent for workers employed by temporary help agencies. The results of the February 1999 survey showed that the characteristics of workers with contingent jobs and in alternative employment arrangements were similar to those in the prior two surveys. These surveys have been conducted as supplements to the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey of about 50,000 households that is the primary source of information on the nation's labor force. A description of the concepts and definitions in the supplement is shown in the Technical Note beginning on page 7. Results of the February 1999 survey included the following highlights: --Under the broadest estimate, a total of 5.6 million workers held contingent jobs. These workers were more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to be under the age of 25. Contingent workers also were somewhat more likely to be female; more than half (51 percent) of all contingent workers were women, compared with 47 percent of noncontingent workers. --Young contingent workers were more likely to be students than their noncontingent counterparts. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, 66 percent of contingent workers were enrolled in school, compared with about 40 percent of noncontingent workers. - 2 - Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements as a percent of total employment, February 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |Percent of Definition and alternative estimates | total of contingent workers | employed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Contingent workers are those who do not have an implicit or explicit contract for ongoing employ- ment. Persons who do not expect to continue in their jobs for personal reasons such as retirement or returning to school are not considered contin- gent 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 the estimate. For temporary help | and contract workers, contingency is based on the | expected duration and tenure of their employment | with the temporary help or contract firm, not with| the specific client to whom they were assigned | 1.9 | Estimate 2 | | Workers including the self-employed and indepen- | dent 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. For temporary help and contract | workers, contingency is determined on the basis of| the expected duration and tenure with the client | to whom they are assigned, instead of their tenure| with the temporary help or contract firm. | 2.3 | 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 independent | contractors for 1 year or less. | 4.3 | --------------------------------------------------| Type of alternative arrangement | --------------------------------------------------| | Independent contractors | Workers who were identified as independent | contractors, independent consultants, or free- | lance workers, whether they were self-employed or | wage and salary workers. | 6.3 | On-call workers | Workers who are called to work only as needed, | although they can be scheduled to work for several| days or weeks in a row. | 1.5 | Temporary help agency workers | Workers who were paid by a temporary help agency, | whether or not their job was temporary. | .9 | Workers provided by contract firms | Workers who are employed by a company that | provides them or their services to others under | contract, and who are usually assigned to only one| customer and usually work at the | customer's worksite. | .6 ----------------------------------------------------------------- - 3 - --Contingent workers were found at both ends of the education spectrum. Among 25- to 64-year olds, 12 percent of contingent workers had less than a high school diploma, compared with 9 percent of noncontingent workers. The proportion of contingent workers who were college graduates (39 percent) also was higher than that for noncontingent workers (31 percent). --Although a large proportion of contingent workers were employed part time (44 percent), the vast majority of part-time workers (90 percent) were not holding a contingent job. --There was wide variation in the characteristics of workers with alternative employment arrangements. For example, compared with workers in a traditional arrangement, independent contractors tended to be older, white, and male, while temporary help agency workers tended to be younger, female, black, and Hispanic. --A majority (53 percent) of contingent workers would have preferred a job that was permanent. --There was wide variation in the job satisfaction of workers with alternative employment arrangements. The vast majority (84 percent) of independent con- tractors were satisfied with their current arrangement. In contrast, 57 percent of temporary help agency workers and 47 percent of on-call workers would have preferred to be in a traditional work arrangement. --Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers with contingent jobs were 77 percent of the earnings of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers were much less likely than noncontingent workers to receive employer- provided health insurance and to participate in employer-provided pension plans. --There was wide variation in the earnings of workers with alternative employment arrangements. Independent contractors and contract company workers earned more than traditional workers, while temporary help agency workers and on-call workers earned less. --Between February 1997 and February 1999, earnings for contract company workers and independent contractors increased by about 22 percent, nearly three times the rate of growth for all workers (7.8 percent). Demographic characteristics of contingent workers In February 1999, 5.6 million workers were classified as contingent (using the broadest estimate). As was the case in prior surveys, contingent workers were more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to be young, that is, between the ages of 16 and 24. (See tables 1 and 2.) Many of these young contingent workers were enrolled in school at the time of the survey; two-thirds of young contingent workers were in school, compared with about two-fifths of noncontingent workers. The large proportion of contingent workers enrolled in school suggests that the flexibility of a temporary job is compatible with school attendance. Compared with noncontingent workers, contingent workers age 25 to 64 were found disproportionately in both lower and higher educational attainment categories. (See table 3.) The proportion of contingent workers who were women (51 percent) was slightly higher than that for noncontingent workers (47 percent). Contingent and noncontingent workers were about equally likely to be black; about 1 in 10 of both contingent and noncontingent workers was black. (See table 2.) Occupation and industry of contingent workers As was the case in previous surveys, workers with contingent jobs were found in a wide range of occupations. Contingent workers were overrepresented in professional specialty, administrative support, and service occupations. They were more likely than noncontingent workers to hold jobs in the construction and services industries. (See table 4.) - 4 - Job preferences of contingent workers Although the majority of contingent workers (53 percent) would have preferred to have permanent rather than temporary jobs, 39 percent of contingent workers preferred their arrangement, slightly higher than the proportion from the February 1997 survey (36 percent). (See table 10.) Compensation of contingent workers As in the prior surveys, contingent workers earned less than their noncontingent counterparts in February 1999. Among full-time workers, median weekly earnings for contingent workers ($415) were 77 percent of those of noncontingent workers ($542). (See table 13.) The disparity in earnings is due in part to the many differences in the characteristics of contingent and noncontingent workers. Contingent workers continued to be less likely to receive employer- provided health insurance. In February 1999, only about 1 in 5 contingent workers had coverage from their employer, in contrast to over one-half of noncontingent workers. (See table 9.) Although most contingent workers did not receive health insurance from their jobs, a substantial share-- nearly two-thirds--had health insurance from some source, including coverage from another family member's policy or by purchasing it on their own. Contingent workers were much less likely than noncontingent workers to be eligible for employer-provided pensions; only one-fifth of contingent workers were eligible, compared with over one-half of their noncontingent counterparts. (See table 9.) Additionally, the proportion of contingent workers who actually participated in employer-provided pension plans (14 percent) was much lower than that for noncontingent workers (46 percent). Alternative employment arrangements The February 1999 survey also 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 the February 1997 survey, the proportion of the employed comprised of independent contractors fell, while the proportions employed in the other three alternative arrangements were about unchanged. The characteristics of workers in the four alternative employment arrangements in February 1999 changed little from those of the two prior surveys. Workers in the four groups continued to differ significantly from each other as well as from workers in a traditional arrangement. Independent contractors In February 1999, 8.2 million workers were identified as independent contractors, independent consultants, and freelance workers. This group was the largest of the alternative arrangements, comprising 6.3 percent of total employment. Compared with traditional workers, independent contractors were more likely to be men, white, and at least 35 years old. They also were more likely than traditional workers to have at least a bachelor's degree. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.) Independent contractors were more likely than traditional workers to work part time. Twenty-five percent of independent contractors worked part time, compared with 17 percent of traditional workers. Independent contractors were concentrated in managerial, professional, sales, and precision production occupations and in the construction and services industries. They had a stronger preference for their employment arrangement than did workers in the other three alternative arrangements. Eighty-four percent preferred working as an independent contractor over a traditional job. (See tables 6, 8, and 11.) - 5 - 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 February 1999, there were 2.0 million on-call workers, the second largest alternative arrangement. The demographics of on-call workers were similar to those of traditional workers, but on-call workers were some- what younger. About half of the on-call workers were employed part time, the highest proportion of any employment arrangement. On-call workers were more likely than traditional workers to hold professional, service, and operator, fabricator, and laborer jobs and to be employed in the construction and services industries. Forty-seven percent of on-call workers would have preferred not to work on call. (See tables 5, 6, 8, and 11.) Temporary help agency workers In February 1999, an estimated 1.2 million workers said they were employed by temporary help agencies. They were more likely than traditional workers to be women, under the age of 25, black, and Hispanic. They were slightly more likely to be employed part time. A higher proportion of temporary help agency workers than traditional workers had dropped out of high school, although over one-half had at least 1 year of college. Temporary help agency workers were heavily concentrated in administrative support and operator, fabricator, and laborer occupations and in the manufacturing and services industries. Nearly three-fifths would have preferred not to work for temporary help agencies. (See tables 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11.) Workers provided by contract firms The smallest of the alternative work arrangements was contract company employment (769,000). These individuals work for companies that provide workers or their services to other organizations under contract and usually were assigned to one customer at a time and worked at the customer’s worksite. They were considerably more likely than traditional workers to be men, and nearly two-fifths had a college degree. Eighty-seven percent worked full time. Contract company workers were more likely to hold professional, service, and precision production, craft, and repair jobs. The largest share was assigned to the services industry, although substantial proportions worked in manufacturing, transportation and public utilities, and public administration. (See tables 5, 6, 7, and 8.) Compensation of workers in alternative 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 February 1999, median weekly earnings for men working full time as contract workers ($770) and independent contractors ($689) were higher than earnings for men in traditional arrangements ($613), while earnings for male on-call workers ($507) and temporary help agency workers ($367) were lower. Women in a traditional arrangement earned more than women in alternative arrangements, with the exception of contract company workers. (See table 13.) The differences in earnings between the four alternative work arrangements reflect in part the occupational concentration of each arrangement. For instance, contract company workers were more likely to hold high-paying professional specialty jobs. In contrast, workers employed by temporary help agencies were more likely to be in administrative support and laborer occupations, which tend to pay below- average wages. - 6 - Workers in alternative arrangements were less likely than workers in a traditional arrangement to have health insurance coverage from any source in February 1999, although coverage rates among the alternative arrangements varied widely. At 80 percent, workers employed by contract companies had the highest rate of health insurance coverage, while employees of temporary help agencies, at 41 percent, had the lowest rate of coverage. Among workers in a traditional arrangement, 83 percent had health insurance coverage. (See table 9.) Workers employed by contract companies were more likely to receive health insurance coverage from their employers than temporary help agency workers and on-call workers. (Independent contractors are not considered because they do not have an employer in the same sense.) Among temporary help agency workers in February 1999, fewer than 1 in 10 received health insurance from their employer. Nearly three-fifths of workers in a traditional arrangement had employer-provided health insurance. Compared with workers in traditional arrangements, workers in alternative arrangements (except those employed by contract companies) were less likely to be eligible for employer-provided pension plans; however, as with health insurance coverage, there was considerable variation among the arrangements. For example, only about 1 in 10 temporary help agency workers was eligible for their employer's pension plan. In contrast, the eligibility rate for contract company workers, 54 percent, was equal to that for workers in traditional arrangements. (See table 9.) Of the four alternative work arrangements, the proportion of workers who actually participated in an employer-provided pension plan was highest for contract company workers (40 percent). In comparison, 23 percent of on-call workers and only 6 percent of those employed by temporary help agencies participated in their employer's pension plan. Technical Note Source of data The data presented in this release were collected through a supplement to the February 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 50,000 households that provides the basic data on employment and unemployment for the nation. This supplement obtained information from workers on whether they held contingent jobs, that is, jobs which were expected to last only a limited period of time. In addition, information was collected on several alternative employment arrangements, namely working as independent contractors and on call, as well as working through temporary help agencies and contract firms. All employed persons, except unpaid family workers, were included in the supplement. For persons holding more than one job, the questions referred to the characteristics of their main job--the job in which they worked the most hours. Similar surveys were conducted in February 1995 and February 1997. 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 exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this 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. Non-sampling 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. For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of Employment and Earnings. Concepts and definitions Defining and estimating the contingent workforce. Contingent workers were defined as those who do not have an explicit or implicit contract for long- term employment. Several pieces of information were collected in the supplement from which the existence of a contingent employment arrangement could be discerned. These include: whether the job was temporary or not expected to continue, how long the worker expected to be able to hold the job, and how long the worker had held the job. For workers who had a job with an intermediary, namely a temporary help agency or a contract company, information was collected about their employment at the place they were assigned to work by the intermediary as well as their employment with the intermediary itself. - 2 - The key factor used to determine if a worker's job fit the conceptual definition of contingent was whether the job was temporary or not expected to continue. The first questions of the supplement were: 1. Some people are in temporary jobs that last only 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? Respondents who answered "yes" to the first question, or "no" to the second, were then asked a series of questions to distinguish persons who were in temporary jobs from those who, for personal reasons, were temporarily holding jobs that offered the opportunity of ongoing employment. For example, students holding part-time jobs in fast-food restaurants while in school might view those 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. Jobs were defined as being short term or temporary if the person was 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 dictated that the job was short term. Workers also were asked how long they expected to stay in their current job and how long they had been with their current employer. The rationale for asking how long an individual expects to remain in his or her current job was that being able to hold a job for a year or more could be taken as evidence of at least an implicit contract for ongoing employment. In other words, the employer's need for the worker's services is not likely to evaporate tomorrow. By the same token, the information on how long a worker has been with the employer shows whether 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, which is the narrowest, measures contingent workers as wage and salary workers who indicated that they expected to work in their current job for 1 year or less and who had worked for their current employer for 1 year or less. Self-employed workers, both incorporated and unincorporated, and independent contractors are excluded from the count of contingent workers under estimate 1; the rationale was that people who work for themselves, by definition, have ongoing employment arrangements, although they may face financial risks. Individuals who worked for temporary help agencies or contract companies are considered contingent under estimate 1 only if they expect their employment arrangement with the temporary help or contract company to last for 1 year or less and they had worked for that company for 1 year or less. Estimate 2 expands the measure of the contingent work force by including the self-employed--both the incorporated and the unincorporated--and independent contractors who expect to be, and had been, in such employment arrangements for 1 year or less. In addition, temporary help and contract company workers are classified as contingent under estimate 2 if they had worked and expected to work for the customers to whom they were 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 firm for more than 1 year and expects to be able to continue with that firm indefinitely is contingent under estimate 2, but not under estimate 1. In contrast, a "temp" who is 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. - 3 - Estimate 3 expands the count of contingency by removing the 1-year requirement on both expected duration of the job and current tenure for wage and salary workers. Thus, the estimate effectively includes all the 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 had held a job for 5 years could be considered contingent if he or she now viewed the job as temporary. These conditions on expected and current tenure are not relaxed for the self-employed and independent contractors, because they were asked a different set of questions from wage and salary workers. Defining alternative employment arrangements. The February supplements included questions about four alternative arrangements. Definitions of each category, as well as the main questions used to identify workers in each category, follow. Independent contractors are all those who were identified as independent contractors, consultants, and freelance workers in the supplement, regardless of whether they were identified as wage and salary workers or self-employed in the responses to basic CPS labor force status questions. Workers identified as self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated) in the basic CPS were asked, "Are you self-employed as an independent contractor, independent consultant, freelance worker, or something else (such as a shop or restaurant owner)?" in order to distinguish those who consider themselves to be independent contractors, consultants, or free- lance workers from those who were business operators such as shop owners or restaurateurs. Those identified as wage and salary workers in the basic CPS were 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." About 88 percent of independent contractors were identified as self-employed in the main questionnaire, while 12 percent were identified as wage and salary workers. Conversely, about half of the self-employed were identified as independent contractors. On-call workers are persons who are called into work only when they are needed. This category includes workers who answered affirmatively 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?" Persons with regularly scheduled work which might include periods of being "on call" to perform work at unusual hours, such as medical residents, were not included in this category. Temporary help agency workers were all those who were paid by a temporary help agency. To the extent that permanent staff of temporary help agencies indicate that they are paid by their agencies, the estimate of the number of workers whose employment was mediated by temporary help agencies is overstated. This category includes workers who said their job was temporary and answered affirmatively to the question, "Are you paid by a temporary help agency?" Also included are workers who said their job was not temporary and answered affirmatively to the question, "Even though you told me your job is not temporary, are you paid by a temporary help agency?" Workers provided by contract firms are those individuals identified as working for a contract company, and who usually work for only one customer and usually work at the customer's worksite. The last two requirements were imposed to focus on workers whose employment appeared to be very closely tied to the firm for which they are performing the work, rather than include all workers employed by firms that provide services. This category included workers who answered affirmatively 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 had to respond negatively to the question, "Are you usually assigned to more than one customer?" In addition, these workers had to respond affirmatively to the question, "Do you usually work at the customer's worksite?" - 4 - Additional information Persons interested in additional information about this release or the February supplements should contact (202) 691-6378 (email: CPSINFO@bls.gov). Further information on the concepts used in this release can be found in "Contingent and alternative work arrangements, defined," in the October 1996 issue of the Monthly Labor Review. Information in this release is made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 606-5886; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, February 1999 (In thousands) Contingent workers Characteristic Total employed Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Age and sex Total, 16 years and over....... 131,494 2,444 3,038 5,641 125,853 16 to 19 years..................... 6,662 511 540 744 5,918 20 to 24 years..................... 12,462 575 671 1,119 11,343 25 to 34 years..................... 30,968 565 751 1,379 29,589 35 to 44 years..................... 36,415 381 532 1,061 35,355 45 to 54 years..................... 28,144 270 359 743 27,400 55 to 64 years..................... 13,062 95 120 362 12,700 65 years and over.................. 3,781 47 64 232 3,549 Men, 16 years and over......... 70,040 1,147 1,417 2,747 67,293 16 to 19 years..................... 3,339 219 242 355 2,984 20 to 24 years..................... 6,489 306 349 570 5,919 25 to 34 years..................... 16,617 305 380 700 15,917 35 to 44 years..................... 19,603 146 227 502 19,101 45 to 54 years..................... 14,684 120 147 337 14,347 55 to 64 years..................... 7,186 32 46 177 7,009 65 years and over.................. 2,122 18 25 105 2,017 Women, 16 years and over....... 61,454 1,297 1,622 2,894 58,560 16 to 19 years..................... 3,323 292 298 389 2,934 20 to 24 years..................... 5,973 268 323 549 5,424 25 to 34 years..................... 14,351 260 372 679 13,672 35 to 44 years..................... 16,812 234 305 559 16,254 45 to 54 years..................... 13,459 150 211 406 13,053 55 to 64 years..................... 5,876 63 74 185 5,691 65 years and over.................. 1,659 29 39 127 1,532 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 110,887 1,978 2,447 4,525 106,361 Black.............................. 14,620 289 386 688 13,932 Hispanic origin.................... 13,356 337 412 742 12,614 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 107,630 1,183 1,579 3,156 104,473 Part-time workers.................. 23,864 1,261 1,459 2,485 21,380 NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding. Table 2. Percent distribution of employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, February 1999 Contingent workers Characteristic Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Age and sex Total, 16 years and over....... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 16 to 19 years..................... 20.9 17.8 13.2 4.7 20 to 24 years..................... 23.5 22.1 19.8 9.0 25 to 34 years..................... 23.1 24.7 24.5 23.5 35 to 44 years..................... 15.6 17.5 18.8 28.1 45 to 54 years..................... 11.0 11.8 13.2 21.8 55 to 64 years..................... 3.9 4.0 6.4 10.1 65 years and over.................. 1.9 2.1 4.1 2.8 Men, 16 years and over......... 46.9 46.6 48.7 53.5 16 to 19 years..................... 9.0 8.0 6.3 2.4 20 to 24 years..................... 12.5 11.5 10.1 4.7 25 to 34 years..................... 12.5 12.5 12.4 12.6 35 to 44 years..................... 6.0 7.5 8.9 15.2 45 to 54 years..................... 4.9 4.9 6.0 11.4 55 to 64 years..................... 1.3 1.5 3.1 5.6 65 years and over.................. .7 .8 1.9 1.6 Women, 16 years and over....... 53.1 53.4 51.3 46.5 16 to 19 years..................... 12.0 9.8 6.9 2.3 20 to 24 years..................... 11.0 10.6 9.7 4.3 25 to 34 years..................... 10.6 12.2 12.0 10.9 35 to 44 years..................... 9.6 10.0 9.9 12.9 45 to 54 years..................... 6.1 7.0 7.2 10.4 55 to 64 years..................... 2.6 2.4 3.3 4.5 65 years and over.................. 1.2 1.3 2.2 1.2 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 80.9 80.6 80.2 84.5 Black.............................. 11.8 12.7 12.2 11.1 Hispanic origin.................... 13.8 13.6 13.2 10.0 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 48.4 52.0 56.0 83.0 Part-time workers.................. 51.6 48.0 44.0 17.0 NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. 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, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Characteristic Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 School enrollment Total, 16 to 24 years (thousands)..................... 1,086 1,212 1,863 17,261 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Enrolled........................... 63.8 62.1 65.9 41.4 Not enrolled....................... 36.2 37.9 34.1 58.6 Less than a high school diploma 6.3 6.5 6.3 9.4 High school graduates, no college....................... 12.9 15.3 13.1 27.1 Less than a bachelor's degree.. 7.5 7.3 7.9 14.6 College graduates.............. 9.5 8.7 6.8 7.4 Educational attainment Total, 25 to 64 years (thousands)..................... 1,311 1,762 3,546 105,043 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Less than a high school diploma.... 12.7 12.6 11.9 9.1 High school graduates, no college.. 27.9 28.5 25.8 31.4 Less than a bachelor's degree...... 26.8 26.5 23.9 28.5 College graduates.................. 32.6 32.4 38.5 31.0 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, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Characteristic Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Occupation Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,444 3,038 5,641 125,853 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Executive, administrative, and managerial...................... 3.8 4.9 6.8 15.1 Professional specialty............. 20.1 18.2 24.7 15.4 Technicians and related support.... 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.2 Sales occupations.................. 8.0 8.8 6.8 12.3 Adminstrative support, including clerical........................ 22.4 20.6 19.2 14.0 Services........................... 16.5 18.2 14.7 13.4 Precision production, craft, and repair.......................... 8.4 8.7 8.4 11.1 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........................ 14.1 13.9 12.5 13.4 Farming, forestry, and fishing..... 3.3 3.1 3.7 2.1 Industry Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,444 3,038 5,641 125,853 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Agriculture........................ 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.1 Mining............................. .2 .1 .2 .4 Construction....................... 7.5 7.7 7.5 6.1 Manufacturing...................... 6.5 6.7 8.1 15.9 Transportation and public utilities 3.5 3.8 3.4 7.4 Wholesale trade.................... 2.4 2.5 2.5 4.0 Retail trade....................... 14.5 13.0 10.7 17.1 Finance, insurance, and real estate 2.2 3.0 3.0 6.9 Services........................... 57.0 57.4 58.1 35.4 Public administration.............. 3.1 2.7 3.3 4.7 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 5. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by selected characteristics, February 1999 (In thousands) Workers with alternative arrangements Total Workers with Characteristic employed Temporary Workers traditional Independent On-call help agency provided by arrangements contractors workers workers contract firms Age and sex Total, 16 years and over.. 131,494 8,247 2,032 1,188 769 119,109 16 to 19 years................ 6,662 76 179 68 37 6,265 20 to 24 years................ 12,462 252 202 249 87 11,637 25 to 34 years................ 30,968 1,479 470 348 235 28,410 35 to 44 years................ 36,415 2,491 507 231 216 32,960 45 to 54 years................ 28,144 2,177 303 182 132 25,332 55 to 64 years................ 13,062 1,212 205 77 47 11,505 65 years and over............. 3,781 561 167 33 14 3,000 Men, 16 years and over.... 70,040 5,459 993 501 542 62,464 16 to 19 years................ 3,339 47 93 38 29 3,116 20 to 24 years................ 6,489 158 120 114 71 6,005 25 to 34 years................ 16,617 901 203 145 168 15,179 35 to 44 years................ 19,603 1,705 235 84 155 17,422 45 to 54 years................ 14,684 1,406 155 75 72 12,966 55 to 64 years................ 7,186 814 102 27 35 6,203 65 years and over............. 2,122 427 84 18 12 1,575 Women, 16 years and over.. 61,454 2,788 1,040 687 227 56,645 16 to 19 years................ 3,323 29 86 30 8 3,149 20 to 24 years................ 5,973 93 81 134 16 5,632 25 to 34 years................ 14,351 578 266 203 67 13,231 35 to 44 years................ 16,812 786 272 147 61 15,538 45 to 54 years................ 13,459 772 149 107 60 12,367 55 to 64 years................ 5,876 397 103 50 12 5,302 65 years and over............. 1,659 133 83 15 2 1,426 Race and Hispanic origin White......................... 110,887 7,471 1,711 883 609 100,063 Black......................... 14,620 476 258 252 97 13,542 Hispanic origin............... 13,356 506 237 161 46 12,355 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers............. 107,630 6,195 1,003 933 668 98,766 Part-time workers............. 23,864 2,053 1,029 255 101 20,343 NOTE: 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 a small number of workers were both "on call" and "provided by contract firms." Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding. Table 6. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by selected characteristics, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Workers with alternative arrangements Workers with Characteristic traditional Independent On-call Temporary help Workers arrangements contractors workers agency workers provided by contract firms Age and sex Total, 16 years and over....... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 16 to 19 years..................... .9 8.8 5.8 4.8 5.3 20 to 24 years..................... 3.1 9.9 20.9 11.3 9.8 25 to 34 years..................... 17.9 23.1 29.3 30.5 23.9 35 to 44 years..................... 30.2 24.9 19.4 28.1 27.7 45 to 54 years..................... 26.4 14.9 15.4 17.2 21.3 55 to 64 years..................... 14.7 10.1 6.5 6.1 9.7 65 years and over.................. 6.8 8.2 2.8 1.9 2.5 Men, 16 years and over......... 66.2 48.8 42.2 70.5 52.4 16 to 19 years..................... .6 4.6 3.2 3.8 2.6 20 to 24 years..................... 1.9 5.9 9.6 9.2 5.0 25 to 34 years..................... 10.9 10.0 12.2 21.8 12.7 35 to 44 years..................... 20.7 11.6 7.0 20.1 14.6 45 to 54 years..................... 17.0 7.6 6.3 9.4 10.9 55 to 64 years..................... 9.9 5.0 2.2 4.6 5.2 65 years and over.................. 5.2 4.2 1.6 1.6 1.3 Women, 16 years and over....... 33.8 51.2 57.8 29.5 47.6 16 to 19 years..................... .4 4.2 2.5 1.0 2.6 20 to 24 years..................... 1.1 4.0 11.3 2.0 4.7 25 to 34 years..................... 7.0 13.1 17.1 8.8 11.1 35 to 44 years..................... 9.5 13.4 12.4 8.0 13.0 45 to 54 years..................... 9.4 7.3 9.0 7.8 10.4 55 to 64 years..................... 4.8 5.1 4.2 1.6 4.5 65 years and over.................. 1.6 4.1 1.3 .3 1.2 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 90.6 84.2 74.3 79.2 84.0 Black.............................. 5.8 12.7 21.2 12.6 11.4 Hispanic origin.................... 6.1 11.6 13.6 6.0 10.4 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 75.1 49.3 78.5 86.8 82.9 Part-time workers.................. 24.9 50.7 21.5 13.2 17.1 NOTE: Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative arrangements" categories. Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups. 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, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Workers with alternative arrangements Workers with Characteristic traditional Independent On-call Temporary help Workers arrangements contractors workers agency workers provided by contract firms School enrollment Total, 16 to 24 years (thousands)..................... 328 380 317 124 17,901 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Enrolled........................... 39.3 56.4 22.7 35.8 44.0 Not enrolled....................... 60.7 43.6 77.3 64.2 56.0 Less than a high school diploma 10.0 13.2 16.3 10.3 8.9 High school graduates, no college....................... 27.9 20.2 31.8 13.9 25.8 Less than a bachelor's degree.. 11.4 7.1 26.2 23.9 13.9 College graduates.............. 11.5 3.1 3.0 16.2 7.4 Educational attainment Total, 25 to 64 years (thousands)..................... 7,359 1,485 838 631 98,207 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Less than a high school diploma.... 7.5 13.4 14.6 6.4 9.2 High school graduates, no college.. 29.7 29.6 30.5 22.7 31.4 Less than a bachelor's degree...... 28.5 29.1 33.7 31.9 28.3 College graduates.................. 34.3 27.9 21.2 38.9 31.1 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. Table 8. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by occupation and industry, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Workers with alternative arrangements Workers with Characteristic traditional Independent On-call Temporary help Workers arrangements contractors workers agency workers provided by contract firms Occupation Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 8,247 2,032 1,188 769 119,109 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Executive, administrative, and managerial...................... 20.5 5.3 4.3 12.0 14.6 Professional specialty............. 18.5 24.3 6.8 28.8 15.5 Technicians and related support.... 1.1 4.1 4.1 6.7 3.3 Sales occupations.................. 17.3 5.7 1.8 1.5 12.0 Adminstrative support, including clerical........................ 3.4 8.2 36.1 3.4 15.0 Services........................... 8.8 23.5 8.1 18.8 13.7 Precision production, craft, and repair.......................... 18.9 10.1 8.7 16.0 10.5 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........................ 7.0 16.0 29.2 10.7 13.6 Farming, forestry, and fishing..... 4.4 2.9 .9 2.2 2.0 Industry Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 8,247 2,032 1,188 769 119,109 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Agriculture........................ 4.9 2.2 .4 .4 2.0 Mining............................. .2 .4 .1 2.7 .4 Construction....................... 19.9 9.6 2.5 9.0 5.1 Manufacturing...................... 4.6 4.5 29.7 18.0 16.5 Transportation and public utilities 5.7 9.5 6.1 14.0 7.4 Wholesale trade.................... 3.5 1.8 4.2 .8 4.0 Retail trade....................... 10.2 14.6 3.9 4.6 17.6 Finance, insurance, and real estate 8.8 2.7 7.0 8.9 6.7 Services........................... 42.1 52.0 38.7 27.1 35.2 Public administration.............. .2 2.6 (1) 10.7 5.1 Not reported or ascertained........ - .1 6.3 3.8 - 1 Less than 0.05 percent. 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. For temporary help agency workers and workers provided by contract firms, the industry classification is that of the place to which they were assigned. Dash represents zero. 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 plans, February 1999 Percent with health insurance Percent eligible for coverage employer-provided pension plan(2) Characteristic Total employed Included in Total Provided by Total employer-pro- employer(1) vided pension plan Contingent workers: Estimate 1....................... 2,444 60.2 12.4 11.9 5.4 Estimate 2....................... 3,038 57.7 11.0 11.6 5.5 Estimate 3....................... 5,641 64.1 20.6 21.4 13.8 Noncontingent workers.............. 125,853 82.3 54.6 51.3 45.8 With alternative arrangements: Independent contractors.......... 8,247 73.3 (3) 2.8 1.9 On call workers.................. 2,032 67.3 21.1 29.0 22.5 Temporary help agency workers.... 1,188 41.0 8.5 11.8 5.8 Workers provided by contract firms........................... 769 79.9 56.1 53.9 40.2 With traditional arrangements...... 119,109 82.8 57.9 54.1 48.3 1 Excludes the self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated) and independent contractors. 2 Excludes the self-employed (incorporated and unincorporated); includes independent contractors who were self-employed. 3 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, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Preference Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,444 3,038 5,641 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 Prefer noncontingent employment.... 54.0 53.4 53.1 Prefer contingent employment....... 39.2 39.8 38.9 It depends......................... 5.1 4.5 5.3 Not available...................... 1.7 2.3 2.7 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 11. Employed workers with alternative work arrangements by their preference for a traditional work arrangement, February 1999 (Percent distribution) Preference Independent contractors On-call workers Temporary help agency workers Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 8,247 2,032 1,188 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 Prefer traditional arrangement..... 8.5 46.7 57.0 Prefer indirect or alternative arrangement..................... 83.8 44.7 33.1 It depends......................... 5.2 4.8 5.3 Not available...................... 2.5 3.8 4.6 NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Table 12. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by contingent and noncontingent employment, February 1999 Percent distribution Total Arrangement (thousands) Contingent workers Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 With alternative arrangements: Independent contractors.......... 8,247 (1) 2.9 2.9 97.1 On-call workers.................. 2,032 12.6 13.2 28.0 72.0 Temporary help agency workers.... 1,188 24.2 36.1 55.9 44.1 Workers provided by contract firms........................... 769 6.0 12.7 20.2 79.8 With traditional arrangements...... 119,109 1.4 1.5 3.2 96.8 1 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, age, race, and Hispanic origin, February 1999 Contingent workers Workers with alternative arrangements Workers with Characteristic Noncontinge- Independ- Temporary Workers traditional Estimate Estimate Estimate nt workers ent On-call help provided arrangements 1 2 3 contract- workers agency by ors workers contract firms Full-time workers Total, 16 years and over................ $360 $374 $415 $542 $640 $472 $342 $756 $540 Men.................... 413 434 494 614 689 507 367 770 613 Women.................. 306 314 340 476 441 348 331 690 474 White.................. 378 384 420 564 662 478 338 734 562 Black.................. 265 297 350 447 414 393 354 719 445 Hispanic origin........ 278 286 313 397 504 308 296 (1) 396 Part-time workers Total, 16 years and over................ 111 112 114 160 209 119 187 $171 157 Men.................... 116 117 119 150 319 133 192 (1) 146 Women.................. 108 109 112 166 169 114 185 (1) 163 White.................. 111 111 113 161 220 119 183 $197 158 Black.................. 115 119 122 150 142 130 (1) (1) 146 Hispanic origin........ 116 117 116 159 240 102 (1) (1) 156 1 Data 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 arrangements.