WASHINGTON--With the U.S. market getting bigger, the U.S. Labor Department said on Tuesday that they will include rideshare workers as part of the gig economy in May 2017.
After it was discontinued by Congress in 2005, the Labor Department and the Census Bureau are reworking the current population survey by including workers in the gig economy during their revisions next spring. The survey will assist in detailing a picture of the current U.S. job market.
The gig economy will also include independent contractors, temporary workers and people who work more than one job.
Gigs and on-demand jobs haVE expanded within the past few years because of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft. Startups such as TaskRabbit, a mobile marketplace that allows users to name and pay for tasks they need done, has also contributed to the expanding economy.
Researchers from Emergent Research and MBO partners estimated last fall that there are roughly 30 million full-time and part-time independent workers in the gig economy.