Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm Technical information: (202) 606-6378 USDL 97-422 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 606-5902 Tuesday, December 2, 1997 CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, FEBRUARY 1997 The proportion of U.S. workers who hold contingent jobs--basically those jobs that are not expected to last--declined slightly in the 2 years between February 1995 and February 1997, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Using three alternative estimates (table A), contingent workers accounted for 1.9 to 4.4 percent of all employment in February 1997; the range was 2.2 to 4.9 percent in February 1995. The analysis in this release is focused on the broadest estimate of contingent workers. During this 2-year period, there was little change in the proportions of the employed who had alternative work arrangements--the 6.7 percent (8.5 million workers) who were identified as independent contractors, the 1.6 percent (2.0 million workers) who were on-call workers, the 1.0 percent (1.3 million workers) who worked for temporary help agencies, and the 0.6 percent (800,000 workers) who worked for contract firms. Alternative employment arrangements were identified separately from the contingency of a job, and the proportions of employees in alternative arrangements who considered their employment to be contingent ranged from less than 4 percent for independent contractors to about 57 percent for temporary help agency workers. The findings on the characteristics of workers in contingent jobs and in alternative work arrangements in February 1997 were similar to those in the first survey 2 years before. The data were collected as a supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for BLS. A description of the concepts and definitions used in the supplement is presented in the Technical Note beginning on page 6. Some of the highlights of the February 1997 survey follow. --A total of 5.6 million workers held a contingent job under the broadest estimate. They were younger than other workers; persons under the age of 25 made up about 30 percent of contingent workers, compared with about 13 percent of noncontingent workers. Contingent workers also were more likely than noncontingent workers to be female. --About 43 percent of contingent workers were employed part time (less than 35 hours a week), compared with only 18 percent of noncontingent workers. Only 10 percent of all part-time workers were contingent, however. - 2 - --Characteristics of workers in alternative arrangements varied widely. Independent contractors tended to be middle-aged men, for example, while temporary help agency workers tended to be younger women. --The majority (56 percent) of contingent workers would have preferred a permanent job. Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements as a percent of total employment, February 1997 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |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. | 2.4 | 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. | 4.4 | --------------------------------------------------| 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. | 6.7 | 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. | 1.6 | Temporary help agency workers | Workers who were paid by a temporary help agency, | whether or not their job was temporary. | 1.0 | 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 - --The satisfaction of workers in the various alternative employment arrangements varied considerably. For instance, the vast majority (84 percent) of independent contractors were satisfied with their work arrangement, while most (59 percent) temporary help agency workers would have preferred a traditional job. --Median weekly earnings of full-time contingent workers were 82 percent of the earnings of noncontingent workers. --Among workers in alternative arrangements, persons employed by contract companies had higher earnings than workers in traditional arrangements, while persons employed by temporary help firms and on-call workers earned less. Demographic characteristics of contingent workers The February 1997 survey reported 5.6 million contingent workers under the broadest estimate. (See table 1.) As was the case in the February 1995 survey, contingent workers were more than twice as likely as noncontingent workers to be between the ages of 16 and 24, with many young workers combining contingent employment and school attendance. More than three-fifths of young contingent workers were in school, compared with two- fifths of their noncontingent counterparts. Among 25- to 64-year olds, a higher proportion of contingent than noncontingent workers had graduated from college--36 and 30 percent, respectively. (See table 3.) Slightly more than half of contingent workers were women, compared with 46 percent of noncontingent workers. Blacks accounted for about 11 percent of both contingent and noncontingent workers. (See table 2.) Occupation and industry of contingent workers Contingent workers were employed in a wide range of jobs. They were more likely than noncontingent workers to hold professional and administrative support positions and less likely to be in managerial and sales jobs. They also were overrepresented in the services and construction industries. (See table 4.) Job preferences of contingent workers The majority of contingent workers (56 percent) would have preferred noncontingent jobs; nevertheless, more than one-third of contingent workers preferred their arrangement. (The remainder expressed no clear preference.) (See table 10.) Compensation of contingent workers Median earnings were lower for contingent workers than for their noncontingent counterparts. Full-time contingent workers’ median earnings ($417) were 82 percent of those of noncontingent workers ($510) in February 1997. (See table 13.) The disparity in median earnings reflects in part differences in the characteristics of contingent and noncontingent workers. Contingent workers also were less likely to receive health insurance from their employers. Only 1 in 5 contingent workers had employer-provided coverage, compared with more than 1 in 2 noncontingent workers. (See table 9.) Although contingent workers were less likely to have health insurance coverage through their jobs, a substantial proportion (two-thirds) had some type of coverage, including those who were covered by family members’ policies or who had purchased coverage on their own. - 4 - Only about one-fourth of contingent workers were eligible for employer- provided pension plans, compared with nearly one-half of noncontingent workers. (See table 9.) Contingent workers also were less likely to actually participate in employer-provided pension plans--15 versus 44 percent, respectively. Alternative employment arrangements The February 1997 supplement also measured the characteristics of workers in four alternative employment arrangements--independent contractors, on-call workers, temporary help agency workers, and workers employed by contract firms. In general, the results of the 1997 survey were very similar to those of the 1995 survey with respect to the numbers and characteristics of these workers. As in the earlier survey, workers in the four groups differed considerably from one another as well as from workers in traditional arrangements. Independent contractors Independent contractors, independent consultants, and free-lance workers made up the largest group of workers in alternative employment arrangements. Workers in this group were considerably more likely than workers in traditional arrangements to be men, white, at least 35 years old, and college educated. Specifically, two-thirds of the independent contractors were men, compared with just over one-half of workers in traditional arrangements. Nearly 4 out of 5 were at least 35 years old, compared with 3 out of 5 traditional workers. Fully one-third of independent contractors had a college degree, a higher proportion than traditional workers. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.) Independent contractors were more likely than traditional workers to hold managerial, sales, or precision production jobs. Relatively few were in technical, administrative support, or operator, fabricator, and laborer positions. Independent contractors were overrepresented in the agriculture, construction, and services industries. About 26 percent of them worked part time, compared with about 18 percent of traditional workers. Independent contractors had a stronger preference for their employment arrangement than did workers in the other alternative arrangements, with 84 percent preferring their arrangement over a traditional job. (See tables 6, 8, and 11.) On-call workers On-call workers, who made up the second largest alternative arrangement, 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. Demographically, they resembled workers in traditional arrangements, but on- call workers were somewhat younger. They also were more likely to be in professional, service, precision production, and operator, fabricator, and laborer occupations and in the services and construction industries. Nearly 53 percent worked part time, the highest proportion of any employment arrangement. One-half of on-call workers had a preference for a traditional arrangement. (See tables 5, 6, 8, and 11.) Temporary help agency workers Workers paid by temporary help agencies were more likely than workers in traditional arrangements to be women, young, black, or Hispanic. Eighty percent worked full time. They were heavily concentrated in administrative support and operator, fabricator, and laborer positions and in the services and manufacturing industries. Nearly 60 percent would have preferred a traditional job. (See tables 5, 6, 8, and 11.) - 5 - Workers provided by contract firms Individuals who are employed by companies that provide workers or their services to other companies under contract are in the smallest of the alternative arrangements; these workers are assigned to one customer at a time and perform the work at the customer’s worksite. This group was disproportionately male and nearly one-third had a college degree. Most were assigned to the services, manufacturing, public administration, or transportation and public utilities industries. (See tables 6, 7, and 8.) Compensation of workers in alternative arrangements Among workers employed full time, there was wide variation in the median earnings of those in alternative work arrangements relative to one another and to workers in traditional arrangements. In February 1997, median weekly earnings for full-time workers employed by contract companies ($619) were higher than earnings for workers in traditional arrangements ($510), while earnings for independent contractors were about the same ($523), and earnings for on-call workers ($432) and those employed by temporary help agencies ($329) were lower. This pattern held for men; however, women in traditional arrangements outearned women in every alternative arrangement. (See table 13.) The earnings differences between the alternative work arrangements reflect in part the occupational concentration of each arrangement. For example, workers employed by temporary help agencies were more likely to hold administrative support and laborer jobs, which pay lower-than-average wages, in general. In contrast, independent contractors were more likely to be in higher-paying managerial and professional specialty jobs. Compared with workers in traditional arrangements, workers in alternative arrangements (except those employed by a contract company) were less likely to have health insurance coverage from any source at the time of the survey, although coverage rates among the alternative arrangements varied significantly. Temporary help agency workers had the lowest rate of health insurance coverage (only 46 percent had health insurance from any source). In contrast, the coverage rate for contract company workers, 82 percent, was nearly equal to that for workers in traditional arrangements. (See table 9.) Contract company workers also were most likely to receive health insurance coverage from their employers; 1 in 2 received employer-provided health insurance. Among temporary help agency workers, in contrast, only 7 percent had employer-provided health insurance. Nearly three-fifths of workers in traditional arrangements had health insurance coverage through their employer. Workers in alternative arrangements were less likely than workers in traditional arrangements to be eligible for employer-provided pension plans, although, as with health insurance coverage, there was wide variation among the arrangements. Nearly half of contract company workers were eligible for their employer’s pension plan, for example, compared with only 10 percent of temporary help agency workers. Over one-half of workers in traditional arrangements were eligible for employer-provided pensions. (See table 9.) Of the four alternative work arrangements, 36 percent of contract company workers actually participated in an employer-provided pension plan, compared with 19 percent of on-call workers and only 4 percent of temporary help agency workers. By comparison, nearly half of workers in traditional arrangements participated in a pension plan at work. Technical Note Source of data The data presented in this release were collected through a supplement to the February 1997 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. A similar survey was conducted in February 1995. 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. 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 - 2 - 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 a job has been ongoing. Having remained with an employer for more than a year may be taken as evidence 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, 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. (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 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. 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. To provide estimates of the number of workers in alternative employment arrangements, the February 1997 CPS supplement included questions about whether individuals were paid by a temporary help agency or contract company, or whether they were on- call workers or independent contractors. 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 free-lance 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, free-lance 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 - 3 - workers in the basic CPS were asked, "Last week, were you working as an independent contractor, an independent consultant, or a free-lance 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?" Additional information Persons interested in additional information about this release or the February supplement should contact (202) 606-6378 (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) 606-7828; TDD phone: (202) 606-5897; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577. Table 1. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, February 1997 (In thousands) Contingent workers Characteristic Total employed Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Age and sex Total, 16 years and over....... 126,742 2,385 3,096 5,574 121,168 16 to 19 years..................... 6,031 459 494 691 5,340 20 to 24 years..................... 11,958 570 650 999 10,958 25 to 34 years..................... 31,647 565 756 1,381 30,267 35 to 44 years..................... 35,282 417 638 1,163 34,119 45 to 54 years..................... 26,146 199 333 759 25,387 55 to 64 years..................... 12,032 127 166 408 11,625 65 years and over.................. 3,646 49 60 174 3,472 Men, 16 years and over......... 67,931 1,181 1,498 2,746 65,185 16 to 19 years..................... 3,068 226 239 346 2,722 20 to 24 years..................... 6,269 276 304 474 5,795 25 to 34 years..................... 17,185 273 360 686 16,499 35 to 44 years..................... 18,965 196 297 569 18,396 45 to 54 years..................... 13,775 97 155 345 13,430 55 to 64 years..................... 6,558 83 104 213 6,345 65 years and over.................. 2,111 30 38 113 1,998 Women, 16 years and over....... 58,811 1,204 1,599 2,828 55,983 16 to 19 years..................... 2,963 233 255 345 2,619 20 to 24 years..................... 5,689 294 345 526 5,163 25 to 34 years..................... 14,462 292 395 695 13,767 35 to 44 years..................... 16,317 221 341 593 15,724 45 to 54 years..................... 12,371 102 178 414 11,957 55 to 64 years..................... 5,474 44 62 195 5,279 65 years and over.................. 1,535 18 22 61 1,474 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 107,899 1,895 2,494 4,564 103,335 Black.............................. 13,465 318 403 616 12,849 Hispanic origin.................... 12,026 290 396 691 11,336 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 102,813 1,275 1,698 3,205 99,608 Part-time workers.................. 23,929 1,111 1,399 2,368 21,560 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 1997 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..................... 19.3 15.9 12.4 4.4 20 to 24 years..................... 23.9 21.0 17.9 9.0 25 to 34 years..................... 23.7 24.4 24.8 25.0 35 to 44 years..................... 17.5 20.6 20.9 28.2 45 to 54 years..................... 8.3 10.8 13.6 21.0 55 to 64 years..................... 5.3 5.4 7.3 9.6 65 years and over.................. 2.0 1.9 3.1 2.9 Men, 16 years and over......... 49.5 48.4 49.3 53.8 16 to 19 years..................... 9.5 7.7 6.2 2.2 20 to 24 years..................... 11.6 9.8 8.5 4.8 25 to 34 years..................... 11.4 11.6 12.3 13.6 35 to 44 years..................... 8.2 9.6 10.2 15.2 45 to 54 years..................... 4.1 5.0 6.2 11.1 55 to 64 years..................... 3.5 3.4 3.8 5.2 65 years and over.................. 1.3 1.2 2.0 1.6 Women, 16 years and over....... 50.5 51.6 50.7 46.2 16 to 19 years..................... 9.8 8.2 6.2 2.2 20 to 24 years..................... 12.3 11.2 9.4 4.3 25 to 34 years..................... 12.3 12.8 12.5 11.4 35 to 44 years..................... 9.3 11.0 10.6 13.0 45 to 54 years..................... 4.3 5.8 7.4 9.9 55 to 64 years..................... 1.8 2.0 3.5 4.4 65 years and over.................. .8 .7 1.1 1.2 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 79.4 80.6 81.9 85.3 Black.............................. 13.3 13.0 11.1 10.6 Hispanic origin.................... 12.2 12.8 12.4 9.4 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 53.4 54.8 57.5 82.2 Part-time workers.................. 46.6 45.2 42.5 17.8 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 1997 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Characteristic Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 School enrollment Total, 16 to 24 years (thousands)..................... 1,029 1,143 1,690 16,299 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Enrolled........................... 61.4 57.7 63.7 40.0 Not enrolled....................... 38.6 42.3 36.3 60.0 Less than a high school diploma 8.0 9.3 8.5 10.5 High school graduates, no college......................... 13.5 16.0 13.2 27.5 Less than a bachelor's degree.. 9.4 9.9 8.2 15.5 College graduates.............. 7.8 7.1 6.3 6.6 Educational attainment Total, 25 to 64 years (thousands)..................... 1,308 1,893 3,710 101,397 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Less than a high school diploma.... 10.0 11.0 10.4 9.6 High school graduates, no college.. 27.9 28.5 26.8 32.8 Less than a bachelor's degree...... 32.7 30.3 27.0 28.0 College graduates.................. 29.4 30.1 35.9 29.5 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 1997 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Characteristic Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Occupation Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,385 3,096 5,574 121,168 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Executive, administrative, and managerial...................... 5.2 5.6 7.3 14.6 Professional specialty............. 16.2 15.1 21.2 15.3 Technicians and related support.... 3.2 3.6 3.5 3.3 Sales occupations.................. 7.0 7.5 5.8 12.1 Adminstrative support, including clerical........................ 23.0 20.6 19.7 14.3 Services........................... 15.9 17.3 15.2 13.2 Precision production, craft, and repair.......................... 10.6 10.4 10.2 10.9 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........................ 16.3 17.0 14.1 14.0 Farming, forestry, and fishing..... 2.5 2.9 3.1 2.3 Industry Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,385 3,096 5,574 121,168 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Agriculture........................ 1.9 2.4 2.8 2.3 Mining............................. .3 .3 .4 .5 Construction....................... 12.3 12.0 10.1 6.0 Manufacturing...................... 7.4 7.2 8.0 16.8 Transportation and public utilities 2.5 3.5 4.1 7.1 Wholesale trade.................... 1.7 2.1 1.8 4.0 Retail trade....................... 13.1 11.6 9.5 16.7 Finance, insurance, and real estate 3.6 3.5 3.1 6.6 Services........................... 54.2 55.1 55.9 35.6 Public administration.............. 2.8 2.2 4.2 4.4 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 1997 (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.. 126,742 8,456 1,996 1,300 809 114,199 16 to 19 years................ 6,031 66 193 79 16 5,678 20 to 24 years................ 11,958 206 237 214 66 11,229 25 to 34 years................ 31,647 1,549 448 394 277 28,984 35 to 44 years................ 35,282 2,631 508 279 252 31,627 45 to 54 years................ 26,146 2,237 288 211 115 23,297 55 to 64 years................ 12,032 1,173 193 87 62 10,516 65 years and over............. 3,646 595 129 37 22 2,868 Men, 16 years and over.... 67,931 5,633 979 581 565 60,180 16 to 19 years................ 3,068 25 106 37 9 2,890 20 to 24 years................ 6,269 128 128 125 62 5,819 25 to 34 years................ 17,185 960 236 197 194 15,602 35 to 44 years................ 18,965 1,754 241 90 178 16,709 45 to 54 years................ 13,775 1,495 138 81 74 11,991 55 to 64 years................ 6,558 838 77 29 41 5,571 65 years and over............. 2,111 432 52 23 7 1,597 Women, 16 years and over.. 58,811 2,824 1,017 719 244 54,019 16 to 19 years................ 2,963 41 86 42 6 2,788 20 to 24 years................ 5,689 78 109 90 4 5,409 25 to 34 years................ 14,462 589 212 197 83 13,382 35 to 44 years................ 16,317 877 267 189 74 14,918 45 to 54 years................ 12,371 742 150 130 41 11,306 55 to 64 years................ 5,474 335 116 58 21 4,945 65 years and over............. 1,535 163 78 14 15 1,271 Race and Hispanic origin White......................... 107,899 7,667 1,783 976 660 96,834 Black......................... 13,465 448 156 277 104 12,480 Hispanic origin............... 12,026 614 265 160 51 10,928 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers............. 102,813 6,221 947 1,044 670 93,955 Part-time workers............. 23,929 2,235 1,049 256 139 20,244 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 1997 (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..................... .8 9.6 6.1 1.9 5.0 20 to 24 years..................... 2.4 11.9 16.5 8.1 9.8 25 to 34 years..................... 18.3 22.5 30.3 34.2 25.4 35 to 44 years..................... 31.1 25.4 21.5 31.1 27.7 45 to 54 years..................... 26.5 14.4 16.2 14.2 20.4 55 to 64 years..................... 13.9 9.7 6.7 7.7 9.2 65 years and over.................. 7.0 6.5 2.8 2.8 2.5 Men, 16 years and over......... 66.6 49.0 44.7 69.8 52.7 16 to 19 years..................... .3 5.3 2.9 1.1 2.5 20 to 24 years..................... 1.5 6.4 9.6 7.7 5.1 25 to 34 years..................... 11.4 11.8 15.1 24.0 13.7 35 to 44 years..................... 20.7 12.1 6.9 21.9 14.6 45 to 54 years..................... 17.7 6.9 6.2 9.1 10.5 55 to 64 years..................... 9.9 3.9 2.2 5.1 4.9 65 years and over.................. 5.1 2.6 1.7 .9 1.4 Women, 16 years and over....... 33.4 51.0 55.3 30.2 47.3 16 to 19 years..................... .5 4.3 3.2 .8 2.4 20 to 24 years..................... .9 5.4 6.9 .4 4.7 25 to 34 years..................... 7.0 10.6 15.1 10.3 11.7 35 to 44 years..................... 10.4 13.4 14.6 9.2 13.1 45 to 54 years..................... 8.8 7.5 10.0 5.1 9.9 55 to 64 years..................... 4.0 5.8 4.4 2.6 4.3 65 years and over.................. 1.9 3.9 1.1 1.9 1.1 Race and Hispanic origin White.............................. 90.7 89.3 75.1 81.5 84.8 Black.............................. 5.3 7.8 21.3 12.9 10.9 Hispanic origin.................... 7.3 13.3 12.3 6.3 9.6 Full- or part-time status Full-time workers.................. 73.6 47.4 80.3 82.8 82.3 Part-time workers.................. 26.4 52.6 19.7 17.2 17.7 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 1997 (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)..................... 272 429 294 81 16,907 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Enrolled........................... 30.7 50.4 16.1 26.0 42.8 Not enrolled....................... 69.3 49.6 83.9 74.0 57.2 Less than a high school diploma 9.5 15.8 14.7 9.6 10.1 High school graduates, no college......................... 27.7 21.5 31.6 29.3 26.1 Less than a bachelor's degree.. 24.1 7.8 28.7 27.1 14.5 College graduates.............. 7.9 4.4 8.8 8.0 6.5 Educational attainment Total, 25 to 64 years (thousands)..................... 7,590 1,437 970 705 94,424 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Less than a high school diploma.... 8.7 13.4 11.2 7.2 9.7 High school graduates, no college.. 30.3 28.7 30.7 36.8 32.8 Less than a bachelor's degree...... 26.8 32.0 36.3 23.4 28.0 College graduates.................. 34.1 25.9 21.8 32.7 29.5 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 1997 (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)..................... 8,456 1,996 1,300 809 114,199 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Executive, administrative, and managerial...................... 20.7 2.7 6.9 8.1 14.1 Professional specialty............. 17.9 21.2 6.6 19.8 15.3 Technicians and related support.... .8 4.1 5.8 7.2 3.4 Sales occupations.................. 17.9 6.7 1.7 2.8 11.7 Adminstrative support, including clerical........................ 3.9 8.6 34.1 5.2 15.3 Services........................... 9.1 20.4 9.0 27.7 13.5 Precision production, craft, and repair.......................... 17.9 14.7 5.2 19.8 10.3 Operators, fabricators, and laborers........................ 6.8 18.8 29.1 9.2 14.3 Farming, forestry, and fishing..... 5.1 2.8 1.6 .2 2.2 Industry Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 8,456 1,996 1,300 809 114,199 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Agriculture........................ 5.7 3.4 - .2 2.1 Mining............................. .2 .4 .6 2.1 .5 Construction....................... 20.7 14.4 2.2 4.6 4.9 Manufacturing...................... 4.7 5.3 27.7 19.0 17.5 Transportation and public utilities 5.1 8.6 5.3 12.9 7.1 Wholesale trade.................... 3.5 1.7 3.8 1.5 4.0 Retail trade....................... 10.1 12.5 3.4 6.3 17.2 Finance, insurance, and real estate 8.4 1.5 7.4 7.5 6.4 Services........................... 41.4 47.5 36.6 26.5 35.5 Public administration.............. .2 4.0 (1) 13.1 4.8 Not reported or ascertained........ - .6 12.9 6.3 - 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 1997 Percent with health insurance Percent eligible for coverage employer-provided pension plan(2) Characteristic Total employed Included in Total Provided by Total employer-prov- employer(1) ided pension plan Contingent workers: Estimate 1....................... 2,385 60.5 10.9 14.2 5.7 Estimate 2....................... 3,096 59.2 9.4 12.9 5.5 Estimate 3....................... 5,574 66.1 20.7 23.3 14.8 Noncontingent workers.............. 121,168 82.2 53.9 49.2 44.2 With alternative arrangements: Independent contractors.......... 8,456 72.7 (3) 3.6 2.3 On call workers.................. 1,996 67.3 19.6 27.0 19.2 Temporary help agency workers.... 1,300 46.4 7.0 10.4 3.7 Workers provided by contract firms........................... 809 81.7 50.2 47.6 35.7 With traditional arrangements...... 114,199 82.8 57.5 52.2 46.9 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 1997 (Percent distribution) Contingent workers Preference Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 2,385 3,096 5,574 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 Prefer noncontingent employment.... 60.2 56.7 55.5 Prefer contingent employment....... 34.1 35.8 36.2 It depends......................... 4.9 5.2 5.8 Not available...................... .9 2.3 2.5 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 1997 (Percent distribution) Preference Independent contractors On-call workers Temporary help agency workers Total, 16 years and over (thousands)..................... 8,456 1,996 1,300 Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 Prefer traditional arrangement..... 9.3 50.0 59.2 Prefer indirect or alternative arrangement..................... 83.6 40.0 33.5 It depends......................... 4.6 6.4 4.8 Not available...................... 2.5 3.5 2.5 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 1997 Percent distribution Total Arrangement (thousands) Contingent workers Noncontingent workers Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3 With alternative arrangements: Independent contractors.......... 8,456 (1) 3.5 3.5 96.5 On-call workers.................. 1,996 13.9 14.2 26.7 73.3 Temporary help agency workers.... 1,300 27.7 42.5 56.8 43.2 Workers provided by contract firms........................... 809 5.3 12.0 16.7 83.3 With traditional arrangements...... 114,199 1.5 1.6 3.4 96.6 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 1997 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................ $356 $368 $417 $510 $523 $432 $329 $619 $510 Men.................... 406 424 486 579 592 508 385 685 578 Women.................. 298 307 354 449 400 286 305 439 450 White.................. 362 371 427 523 574 455 324 675 524 Black.................. 320 376 377 426 383 378 332 394 428 Hispanic origin........ 277 284 278 359 425 321 281 (1) 357 Part-time workers Total, 16 years and over................ 102 105 111 146 189 119 148 $145 144 Men.................... 102 104 111 129 227 126 121 (1) 126 Women.................. 103 105 110 153 163 115 162 $141 151 White.................. 100 102 110 145 191 120 137 141 143 Black.................. 103 108 107 150 159 (1) 181 (1) 146 Hispanic origin........ 104 104 101 142 175 $133 (1) (1) 138 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.