Full text of February 2005 : Text File, USDL 05-1433
The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 05-1433
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: 691-5902 Wednesday, July 27, 2005
CONTINGENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, FEBRUARY 2005
The proportion of U.S. workers holding contingent jobs was little
different in February 2005 than in February 2001, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Contingent
workers are persons who do not expect their jobs to last or who reported
that their jobs are temporary. Using three alternative measures, contin-
gent workers accounted for 1.8 to 4.1 percent of total employment in
February 2005. (See table A.) In February 2001, the last time the survey
was conducted, they ranged from 1.7 to 4.0 percent. The first time the
survey was conducted, in February 1995, the estimates ranged from 2.2 to
4.9 percent.
The analysis in this release focuses on the broadest estimate of con-
tingent workers--all those who do not expect their current job to last.
In addition to contingent workers, the survey also identified those
workers who have alternative work arrangements. In February 2005, there
were 10.3 million independent contractors (7.4 percent of total employment),
2.5 million on-call workers (1.8 percent of total employment), 1.2 million
temporary help agency workers (0.9 percent of total employment), and 813,000
workers provided by contract firms (0.6 percent of total employment). (See
table 8.) The proportion of the total employed who were independent contrac-
tors increased from 6.4 percent in February 2001. The proportions for the
other three alternative work arrangements showed little or no change from
February 2001.
An employment arrangement may be defined as both contingent and alterna-
tive, but this is not automatically the case because contingency is defined
separately from the four alternative work arrangements. In February 2005,
the proportion of workers employed in alternative arrangements who also were
classified as contingent workers ranged from 3 percent of independent con-
tractors to 61 percent of temporary help agency workers. (See table 12.)
Data on contingent and alternative employment arrangements have been
collected periodically in supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS)
since February 1995. The CPS is a monthly nationwide survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment, unemployment, earnings,
demographics, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized
population age 16 and over. A description of the concepts and definitions
used in the supplement is included in the Technical Note that follows this
analysis. Some highlights from the February 2005 survey follow:
- 2 -
Table A. Contingent workers and workers in alternative arrangements as a
percent of total employment, February 2005
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Percent
Definition and alternative estimates of contingent workers | of total
| employed
-----------------------------------------------------------------|----------
Contingent workers are those who do not have an implicit or |
explicit contract for ongoing employment. Persons who do not |
expect to continue in their jobs for personal reasons such as |
retirement or returning to school are not considered contingent |
workers, provided that they would have the option of continuing |
in the job were it not for these 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 estimates. 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. | 1.8
|
Estimate 2 |
Workers including the self-employed and independent 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 have been 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 have held the job for |
more than 1 year and expect to hold the job for at least an addi-|
tional year. The self-employed and independent contractors are |
included if they expect their employment to last for an addi- |
tional year or less and they had been self-employed or independ- |
ent contractors for 1 year or less. | 4.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------
Type of alternative arrangement |
-----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------
Independent contractors |
Workers who were identified as independent contractors, independ-|
ent consultants, or freelance workers, whether they were self- |
employed or wage and salary workers. | 7.4
|
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. | 1.8
|
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 -
--Under the broadest measure of contingency, there were 5.7 million
contingent workers in February 2005, accounting for about 4 percent
of total employment.
--Contingent workers were twice as likely as noncontingent workers to
be under age 25. Contingent workers were less likely to be white than
noncontingent workers.
--Young contingent workers (16- to 24-year olds) were more likely than
their noncontingent counterparts to be enrolled in school.
--More than half of contingent workers (55 percent) would have preferred
a permanent job.
--The demographic characteristics of workers in alternative employment
arrangements varied widely between the four arrangements. For example,
independent contractors were more likely than workers in traditional
arrangements to be older, male, and white. Temporary help agency workers
were more likely to be young, female, and black or Hispanic or Latino.
--The majority of independent contractors (82 percent) preferred their
work arrangement to a traditional job, while only 32 percent of tem-
porary help agency workers preferred their current arrangement.
Demographic Characteristics of Contingent Workers
Using the broadest estimate of contingency, 5.7 million workers were
classified as contingent in February 2005. Contingent workers were twice
as likely as noncontingent workers to be under 25 years old (27 versus
13 percent). Of these young workers, nearly three-fifths of contingent
workers were enrolled in school, compared with about two-fifths of youth
with noncontingent jobs. Contingent workers age 25 to 64 were found at
both ends of the educational attainment spectrum. Compared with noncon-
tingent workers, contingent workers were more likely to have less than a
high school diploma (16 percent compared with 9 percent) and more likely
to hold at least a bachelor's degree (37 percent compared with 33 percent).
(See tables 1, 2, and 3.)
A slightly larger proportion of contingent workers than noncontingent
workers were women (49 versus 47 percent). Contingent workers were slightly
less likely to be white (79 percent compared with 83 percent) and much more
likely to be Hispanic or Latino (21 percent compared with 13 percent) than
their noncontingent counterparts.
Part-time workers--individuals who usually work less than 35 hours a
week--made up two-fifths of contingent workers, compared with less than
one- fifth of noncontingent workers. However, the vast majority of part-
time workers (91 percent) were not employed in contingent arrangements.
(See tables 1 and 2.)
- 4 -
Occupation and Industry of Contingent Workers
As in previous surveys, contingent workers were distributed throughout
the major occupational groups. Compared with noncontingent workers, con-
tingent workers were more likely to work in professional and related oc-
cupations and construction and extraction occupations. With regard to
industries, contingent workers were more likely to hold jobs in the pro-
fessional and business services, education and health services, and
construction industries. (See table 4.)
Job Preferences of Contingent Workers
The majority of contingent workers (55 percent) would have preferred a
job that was permanent. However, more than 1 in every 3 said they preferred
their current arrangement. (The remainder expressed no clear preference.)
(See table 10.) By comparison, the proportion was 40 percent in February 2001.
Compensation of Contingent Workers
Full-time contingent wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings
of $488 in February 2005. (See table 13.) (Beginning with the February
2001 survey, information on the earnings of noncontingent workers is not
available because it is no longer collected.)
Contingent workers continued to be much less likely to have employer-
provided health insurance. Less than one-fifth of contingent workers
(18 percent) were covered by health insurance provided by their employer,
compared with slightly more than half of noncontingent workers (52 percent).
Although four-fifths of contingent workers did not receive health insurance
from their employer, nearly three-fifths (59 percent) did have health in-
surance from some source. (See table 9.)
Contingent workers also were much less likely to be eligible for employer-
provided pension plans. Half of noncontingent workers were eligible for such
plans, while only about 1 in every 5 contingent workers was eligible. Among
those who were eligible, contingent workers also were much less likely to parti-
cipate in such plans. (See table 9.)
Independent Contractors
Independent contractors were the largest of the four alternative work
arrangements. In February 2005, there were about 10.3 million independent
contractors, accounting for 7.4 percent of the employed. These workers
were more likely than workers in traditional arrangements to be age 35
and over (81 versus 64 percent), male (65 versus 52 percent), and white
(89 versus 82 percent). Thirty-six percent of independent contractors
had at least a bachelor's degree in February 2005, compared with 33 per-
cent of workers with traditional arrangements. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.)
Independent contractors were more likely than those with traditional
arrangements to be in management, business, and financial operations
occupations; sales and related occupations; and construction and extrac-
tion occupations. In terms of industry, independent contractors were more
likely than traditional workers to be employed in construction, financial
activities, and professional and business services. Fewer than 1 in 10
independent contractors said they would prefer a traditional work arrange-
ment. (See tables 8 and 11.)
- 5-
On-call Workers
The second largest group of workers employed in alternative arrangements
was on-call workers. Nearly 2.5 million workers (1.8 percent of total em-
ployed persons) were on-call workers in February 2005. The characteristics
of on-call workers were similar to workers with traditional arrangements, ex-
cept that on-call workers were more likely to be young and to have less than
a high school diploma. Twenty percent of on-call workers were 16- to 24-year
olds, compared with 14 percent of traditional workers. Among on-call workers
age 25 to 64, 14 percent did not have a high school diploma, compared with
9 percent of workers in traditional arrangements. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.)
On-call workers were much more likely than traditional workers to hold
jobs in professional, service, and construction and extraction occupations.
By industry, on-call workers were overrepresented, compared with traditional
workers, in construction and education and health services. About 44 percent
of on-call workers usually worked part time, a much higher proportion than
either traditional workers or workers in other alternative arrangements. On-
call workers were about equally likely to prefer a traditional arrangement to
their alternative arrangement. (See tables 6, 8, and 11.)
Temporary Help Agency Workers
In February 2005, there were about 1.2 million temporary help agency
workers, accounting for 0.9 percent of all employment. These workers were
more likely than traditional workers to be women and young. Fifty-three
percent of temporary help agency workers were women, compared with about
48 percent of traditional workers. Nearly half of temporary help agency
workers were under the age of 35 compared with only 36 percent of workers
in traditional arrangements. Temporary help agency employees were much
more likely than workers with traditional arrangements to be black (23
versus 11 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (21 versus 13 percent). Seven-
teen percent of temporary help agency workers ages 25 to 64 years old had
less than a high school diploma, compared with 9 percent of workers in tra-
ditional arrangements. (See tables 5, 6, and 7.)
In terms of occupation, temporary help agency workers were more likely
than traditional workers to hold office and administrative support and
production, transportation, and material moving jobs. Compared with
traditional workers, temporary help agency workers were more frequently
employed in the manufacturing and professional and business services
industries. (See table 8.)
Among workers employed in alternative arrangements, those employed
by temporary help agencies were the least likely to prefer their current
arrangement (32 percent). About 56 percent said they would prefer a
traditional arrangement. (See table 11.)
Workers Provided by Contract Companies
The smallest of the four alternative arrangements was contract company
employment, with 813,000 workers or 0.6 percent of total employment. These
are individuals who were identified as working for a contract company and
who usually worked at the customer's worksite. Nearly 70 percent of contract
company workers were men, compared with 52 percent of traditional workers.
Compared with traditional workers, employees of contract companies were more
likely to be black and Hispanic or Latino. Among 25-to 64-year olds, those
employed by contract companies were more likely than traditional workers to
have less than a high school diploma (13 versus 9 percent); however, the
group also had a higher proportion of college graduates (37 versus 33 per-
cent). (See tables 5, 6, and 7.)
- 6 -
Contract company employees were much more likely than workers with
traditional arrangements to hold jobs in professional, service, and
construction and extraction occupations. Compared with traditional
workers, contract company workers were more frequently employed in
the construction industry and public administration. (See table 8.)
Compensation of Workers in Alternative Arrangements
Median usual weekly earnings varied widely among full-time wage and
salary workers in the four alternative employment arrangements. Contract
company workers ($756) and independent contractors ($716) earned signific-
antly more than on-call workers ($519) and temporary help agency workers
($414). (See table 13.)
The differences in earnings between the four alternative work arrange-
ments reflect in part the demographic and occupational concentration of
each arrangement. For example, independent contractors tend to be older,
highly educated individuals who work in relatively high-paying management,
business, and financial operations occupations. In contrast, temporary
help agency workers tend to be younger, less-educated persons who hold
relatively low-paying office and administrative support jobs. (See
tables 5, 6, and 7.)
Compared with workers in traditional arrangements, workers in alter-
native arrangements (except those employed by contract companies) were
much less likely to be covered by health insurance from any source than
workers in traditional arrangements. Workers in all alternative work
arrangements were less likely than workers in traditional arrangements to
have health insurance provided by their employer. At 49 percent, workers
provided by contract firms were the most likely to have health insurance
coverage from their employer, while employees of temporary help agencies
(8 percent) had the lowest rate of coverage. Fifty-six percent of workers
with traditional arrangements had employer-provided health insurance
coverage. (See table 9.)
Workers in alternative arrangements were also less likely than those in
traditional arrangements to be eligible for employer-provided pension
plans. As with health insurance coverage, there was considerable variation
between the four groups. For example, contract company employees were the
most likely to be eligible at 43 percent, while only about 9 percent of
workers in temporary help agencies were eligible. In contrast, 53 percent
of employees with traditional work arrangements were eligible for employer-
provided pension plans. (See table 9.)
- 7 -
Technical Note
Source of data
The data presented in this release were collected through a supplement
to the February 2005 Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of
about 60,000 households that provides data on employment and unemployment
for the nation. The CPS is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The purpose of this supplement was to
obtain information from workers on whether they held contingent jobs, that
is, jobs which are 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 or contract firms.
Several major changes introduced into the CPS in 2003 affect the data
that are presented in this release. These include the introduction of
Census 2000 population controls, the use of new questions about race and
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, the presentation of data for Asians, and the
introduction of new industry and occupational classification systems. For
a detailed discussion of these changes and their impact on CPS data, see
"Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in January 2003" in
the February 2003 issue of Employment and Earnings and available at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf on the BLS Web site.
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 of 1995, 1997,
1999, and 2001.
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. Nonsampling 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 the correct
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of 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 Employment and Earnings.
- 8 -
Concepts and definitions
Defining and estimating the contingent workforce. Contingent workers
are defined as those who do not have an explicit or implicit contract for
long-term employment. Several pieces of information are collected in the
supplement from which the existence of a contingent employment arrangement
can be discerned. These include: whether the job is temporary or not
expected to continue, how long the worker expects to be able to hold the
job, and how long the worker has held the job. For workers who have a job
with an intermediary, namely a temporary help agency or a contract company,
information is collected about their employment at the place they are
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 fits the conceptual
definition of contingent is whether the job is temporary or not expected to
continue. The first questions of the supplement are:
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 answer "yes" to the first question or "no" to the second
are then asked a series of questions to distinguish persons who are in
temporary jobs from those who, for personal reasons, are temporarily
holding jobs that offer 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.
A job is defined as being short term or temporary if the person holding
it is 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 is short term.
Workers also are asked how long they expect to stay in their current job
and how long they have been with their current employer. The rationale for
asking how long an individual expects to remain in his or her current job
is 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.
- 9 -
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:
Under estimate 1, which is the narrowest, contingent workers are wage
and salary workers who indicate that they expect to work in their current
job for 1 year or less and who have 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 is that people who work for
themselves, by definition, have ongoing employment arrangements, although
they may face financial risks. Individuals who work 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 have 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 have 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 have worked and expect to work for the customers
to whom they are 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 has been 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 has held a job for 5 years
could be considered contingent if he or she now views the job as temporary.
These conditions on expected and current tenure are not relaxed for the
self-employed and independent contractors because they are asked a
different set of questions than wage and salary workers.
Defining alternative employment arrangements. To provide estimates of
the number of workers in alternative employment arrangements, the
supplement includes questions about whether individuals are paid by a
temporary help agency or contract company, or whether they are on-call
workers or independent contractors. Definitions of each category, as well
as the main questions used to identify workers in each category, follow.
- 10 -
Independent contractors are all those who are identified as independent
contractors, consultants, and free-lance workers in the supplement,
regardless of whether they are 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 are asked, "Are you self-employed as an independent
contractor, independent consultant, 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 are business operators such as shop owners or restaurateurs.
Those identified as wage and salary workers in the basic CPS are 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." Eighty-seven percent of
independent contractors were identified as self-employed in the main
questionnaire, while 13 percent were identified as wage and salary workers.
Conversely, nearly 3 in every 5 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 answer 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, are not included
in this category.
Temporary help agency workers are all those who are 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 is mediated by temporary help agencies is
overstated. This category includes workers who say their job is temporary
and answer affirmatively to the question, "Are you paid by a temporary help
agency?" Also included are workers who say their job is not temporary and
answer 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 are
imposed to focus on workers whose employment appears 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
includes workers who answer 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 have to
respond negatively to the question, "Are you usually assigned to more than
one customer?" In addition, these workers have to respond affirmatively to
the question, "Do you usually work at the customer's worksite?"
- 11 -
Additional information
Persons interested in additional information about this release or the
February supplements should contact (202) 691-6378 (e-mail:
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 available on the
Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1996/10/art1full.pdf.
Information in this release is made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD message
referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics, February 2005
(In thousands)
Contingent workers
Characteristic Total employed Noncontingent
workers
Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over....... 138,952 2,504 3,177 5,705 133,247
16 to 19 years..................... 5,510 308 338 476 5,035
20 to 24 years..................... 13,114 606 688 1,077 12,036
25 to 34 years..................... 30,103 693 874 1,447 28,656
35 to 44 years..................... 34,481 415 580 1,044 33,437
45 to 54 years..................... 32,947 263 387 875 32,072
55 to 64 years..................... 17,980 143 198 536 17,445
65 years and over.................. 4,817 76 111 250 4,567
Men, 16 years and over......... 73,946 1,325 1,648 2,914 71,032
16 to 19 years..................... 2,579 145 157 229 2,351
20 to 24 years..................... 6,928 358 394 597 6,331
25 to 34 years..................... 16,624 395 512 829 15,794
35 to 44 years..................... 18,523 245 303 540 17,983
45 to 54 years..................... 17,193 95 140 368 16,825
55 to 64 years..................... 9,485 70 107 261 9,224
65 years and over.................. 2,615 17 35 92 2,523
Women, 16 years and over....... 65,006 1,180 1,529 2,790 62,216
16 to 19 years..................... 2,931 163 182 247 2,684
20 to 24 years..................... 6,186 249 294 481 5,705
25 to 34 years..................... 13,480 298 362 618 12,862
35 to 44 years..................... 15,958 171 277 504 15,454
45 to 54 years..................... 15,754 168 247 508 15,247
55 to 64 years..................... 8,495 73 91 275 8,220
65 years and over.................. 2,202 58 76 158 2,044
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY
White.............................. 115,043 2,007 2,534 4,521 110,522
Black or African American.......... 14,688 296 387 660 14,028
Asian.............................. 6,083 121 161 350 5,733
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity....... 18,062 603 704 1,185 16,876
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers.................. 113,798 1,367 1,812 3,410 110,387
Part-time workers.................. 25,154 1,137 1,364 2,294 22,860
NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent" workers.
Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because
data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Detail for other characteristics may
not sum to totals due to rounding.
Table 2. Employed contingent and noncontingent workers by selected characteristics,
February 2005
(Percent distribution)
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..................... 12.3 10.7 8.3 3.8
20 to 24 years..................... 24.2 21.7 18.9 9.0
25 to 34 years..................... 27.7 27.5 25.4 21.5
35 to 44 years..................... 16.6 18.2 18.3 25.1
45 to 54 years..................... 10.5 12.2 15.3 24.1
55 to 64 years..................... 5.7 6.2 9.4 13.1
65 years and over.................. 3.0 3.5 4.4 3.4
Men, 16 years and over......... 52.9 51.9 51.1 53.3
16 to 19 years..................... 5.8 4.9 4.0 1.8
20 to 24 years..................... 14.3 12.4 10.5 4.8
25 to 34 years..................... 15.8 16.1 14.5 11.9
35 to 44 years..................... 9.8 9.5 9.5 13.5
45 to 54 years..................... 3.8 4.4 6.4 12.6
55 to 64 years..................... 2.8 3.4 4.6 6.9
65 years and over.................. .7 1.1 1.6 1.9
Women, 16 years and over....... 47.1 48.1 48.9 46.7
16 to 19 years..................... 6.5 5.7 4.3 2.0
20 to 24 years..................... 9.9 9.3 8.4 4.3
25 to 34 years..................... 11.9 11.4 10.8 9.7
35 to 44 years..................... 6.8 8.7 8.8 11.6
45 to 54 years..................... 6.7 7.8 8.9 11.4
55 to 64 years..................... 2.9 2.9 4.8 6.2
65 years and over.................. 2.3 2.4 2.8 1.5
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY
White.............................. 80.1 79.8 79.2 82.9
Black or African American.......... 11.8 12.2 11.6 10.5
Asian.............................. 4.8 5.1 6.1 4.3
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity....... 24.1 22.2 20.8 12.7
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers.................. 54.6 57.0 59.8 82.8
Part-time workers.................. 45.4 43.0 40.2 17.2
NOTE: Noncontingent workers are those who do not fall into any estimate of "contingent"
workers. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do
not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose
ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity
as well as by race. 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 2005
(Percent distribution)
Contingent workers
Characteristic Noncontingent
workers
Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
Total, 16 to 24 years
(thousands)....................... 915 1,027 1,553 17,071
Percent............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Enrolled................................ 59.8 57.5 59.1 41.6
Not enrolled............................ 40.2 42.5 40.9 58.4
Less than a high school
diploma........................... 11.4 11.1 12.4 9.2
High school graduates, no
college (1)....................... 15.4 15.2 13.2 25.4
Some college or associate
degree............................ 7.3 10.8 10.3 15.0
Bachelor's degree and higher (2).... 6.1 5.4 5.1 8.7
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 to 64 years
(thousands)....................... 1,514 2,039 3,902 111,610
Percent............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than a high school diploma......... 20.3 18.7 15.5 8.6
High school graduates, no college (1)... 25.6 25.2 24.5 29.7
Some college or associate degree........ 24.0 22.7 23.3 28.5
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........ 30.1 33.4 36.6 33.1
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with a bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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 2005
(Percent distribution)
Contingent workers
Characteristic Noncontin-
gent workers
Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3
OCCUPATION
Total, 16 years and over (thousands)............... 2,504 3,177 5,705 133,247
Percent............................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Management, professional, and related occupations..... 28.4 30.7 35.9 35.2
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations....................................... 5.5 8.0 8.7 14.6
Professional and related occupations................ 22.8 22.6 27.2 20.6
Service occupations................................... 17.3 17.6 15.7 15.6
Sales and office occupations.......................... 24.3 22.5 20.6 26.0
Sales and related occupations....................... 4.9 6.0 5.7 12.1
Office and administrative support occupations....... 19.4 16.5 14.8 13.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations......................................... 16.5 16.7 16.1 10.2
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......... 2.4 2.0 2.1 .5
Construction and extraction occupations............. 11.4 12.3 11.1 5.8
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations... 2.7 2.4 2.9 3.8
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations......................................... 13.6 12.5 11.7 13.1
Production occupations.............................. 4.5 4.0 5.2 6.8
Transportation and material moving occupations...... 9.1 8.5 6.5 6.2
INDUSTRY
Total, 16 years and over (thousands)............... 2,504 3,177 5,705 133,247
Percent............................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Agriculture and related industries..................... 2.5 2.3 1.7 1.3
Mining................................................. .7 .6 .4 .4
Construction........................................... 13.0 14.0 12.3 7.2
Manufacturing.......................................... 6.7 6.0 6.4 11.9
Wholesale trade........................................ 3.2 2.9 2.2 3.2
Retail trade........................................... 6.4 6.7 6.4 12.4
Transportation and utilities........................... 5.0 4.7 3.7 5.3
Information ........................................... 1.6 1.3 2.1 2.3
Financial activities................................... 1.4 2.6 3.1 7.7
Professional and business services..................... 18.2 20.7 18.2 9.7
Education and health services.......................... 23.5 21.8 27.1 20.8
Leisure and hospitality................................ 10.1 8.9 7.4 8.1
Other services......................................... 5.0 5.3 4.9 4.7
Public administration.................................. 2.8 2.3 4.0 4.9
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 2005
(In thousands)
Workers with alternative arrangements
Total Workers with
Characteristic employed Temporary Workers traditional
Independent On-call help agency provided arrangements
contractors workers workers by
contract
firms
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and
over.................... 138,952 10,342 2,454 1,217 813 123,843
16 to 19 years................ 5,510 89 133 33 7 5,194
20 to 24 years................ 13,114 356 355 202 87 12,055
25 to 34 years................ 30,103 1,520 535 362 205 27,427
35 to 44 years................ 34,481 2,754 571 253 196 30,646
45 to 54 years................ 32,947 2,799 417 200 186 29,324
55 to 64 years................ 17,980 1,943 267 135 114 15,496
65 years and over............. 4,817 881 175 33 18 3,701
Men, 16 years and over.... 73,946 6,696 1,241 574 561 64,673
16 to 19 years................ 2,579 32 82 24 7 2,389
20 to 24 years................ 6,928 194 200 107 61 6,331
25 to 34 years................ 16,624 1,006 299 185 138 14,950
35 to 44 years................ 18,523 1,824 252 120 140 16,130
45 to 54 years................ 17,193 1,764 209 71 143 15,003
55 to 64 years................ 9,485 1,287 108 52 70 7,954
65 years and over............. 2,615 589 91 16 3 1,917
Women, 16 years and
over.................... 65,006 3,647 1,212 643 252 59,170
16 to 19 years................ 2,931 57 52 9 - 2,805
20 to 24 years................ 6,186 162 155 95 27 5,724
25 to 34 years................ 13,480 514 236 177 67 12,477
35 to 44 years................ 15,958 930 319 133 57 14,516
45 to 54 years................ 15,754 1,035 208 129 43 14,322
55 to 64 years................ 8,495 656 158 83 44 7,542
65 years and over............. 2,202 292 84 17 15 1,785
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY
White......................... 115,043 9,169 2,097 840 637 102,052
Black or African American..... 14,688 583 212 276 121 13,471
Asian......................... 6,083 370 64 63 43 5,538
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity................... 18,062 951 385 255 133 16,202
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers............. 113,798 7,732 1,370 979 695 102,889
Part-time workers............. 25,154 2,611 1,084 238 119 20,954
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 who were both "on call" and
"provided by contract firms." Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and
Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose
ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by
race. Detail for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding. Dash represents zero.
Table 6. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by selected characteristics,
February 2005
(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 5.4 2.7 .9 4.2
20 to 24 years..................... 3.4 14.5 16.6 10.7 9.7
25 to 34 years..................... 14.7 21.8 29.8 25.2 22.1
35 to 44 years..................... 26.6 23.3 20.8 24.1 24.7
45 to 54 years..................... 27.1 17.0 16.4 22.8 23.7
55 to 64 years..................... 18.8 10.9 11.1 14.0 12.5
65 years and over.................. 8.5 7.1 2.7 2.3 3.0
Men, 16 years and over......... 64.7 50.6 47.2 69.0 52.2
16 to 19 years..................... .3 3.3 1.9 .9 1.9
20 to 24 years..................... 1.9 8.1 8.8 7.5 5.1
25 to 34 years..................... 9.7 12.2 15.2 17.0 12.1
35 to 44 years..................... 17.6 10.3 9.8 17.2 13.0
45 to 54 years..................... 17.1 8.5 5.8 17.6 12.1
55 to 64 years..................... 12.4 4.4 4.3 8.6 6.4
65 years and over.................. 5.7 3.7 1.3 .4 1.5
Women, 16 years and over....... 35.3 49.4 52.8 31.0 47.8
16 to 19 years..................... .5 2.1 .7 - 2.3
20 to 24 years..................... 1.6 6.3 7.8 3.3 4.6
25 to 34 years..................... 5.0 9.6 14.6 8.2 10.1
35 to 44 years..................... 9.0 13.0 10.9 7.0 11.7
45 to 54 years..................... 10.0 8.5 10.6 5.3 11.6
55 to 64 years..................... 6.3 6.5 6.8 5.4 6.1
65 years and over.................. 2.8 3.4 1.4 1.9 1.4
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ETHNICITY
White.............................. 88.6 85.5 69.0 78.3 82.4
Black or African American.......... 5.6 8.6 22.7 14.9 10.9
Asian.............................. 3.6 2.6 5.2 5.3 4.5
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity....... 9.2 15.7 21.0 16.4 13.1
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time workers.................. 74.8 55.8 80.4 85.4 83.1
Part-time workers.................. 25.2 44.2 19.6 14.6 16.9
NOTE: Workers with traditional arrangements are those who do not fall into any of the "alternative
arrangements" categories. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian)
do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Detail
for other characteristics may not sum to totals due to rounding. Dash represents zero.
Table 7. Employed workers with alternative and traditional work arrangements by school enrollment and
educational attainment, February 2005
(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)....................... 445 488 235 95 17,249
Percent............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Enrolled................................ 26.6 41.4 4.7 13.0 44.1
Not enrolled............................ 73.4 58.6 95.3 87.0 55.9
Less than a high school
diploma........................... 10.5 14.9 21.6 38.8 8.9
High school graduates, no
college (1)....................... 30.9 26.4 30.9 30.4 24.2
Some college or associate
degree............................ 22.3 13.1 25.1 12.5 14.4
Bachelor's degree and higher (2).... 9.7 4.4 17.6 5.2 8.5
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Total, 25 to 64 years
(thousands)....................... 9,016 1,790 950 700 102,893
Percent............................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than a high school diploma......... 7.7 13.7 16.9 13.0 8.7
High school graduates, no college (1)... 27.6 27.8 29.5 19.9 29.8
Some college or associate degree........ 29.1 28.8 32.4 30.5 28.3
Bachelor's degree and higher (2)........ 35.6 29.7 21.2 36.6 33.2
1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
2 Includes persons with a bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
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 2005
(Percent distribution)
Workers with alternative arrangements
Workers with
Characteristic Temporary Workers traditional
Independent On-call help agency provided by arrangements
contractors workers workers contract
firms
OCCUPATION
Total, 16 years and over (thousands)............... 10,342 2,454 1,217 813 123,843
Percent............................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Management, professional, and related occupations..... 39.9 35.6 20.3 39.6 35.0
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations....................................... 21.5 5.7 7.6 10.2 14.1
Professional and related occupations................ 18.4 30.0 12.7 29.4 20.9
Service occupations................................... 13.7 22.1 15.6 26.2 15.5
Sales and office occupations.......................... 20.5 12.6 26.9 7.2 26.6
Sales and related occupations....................... 17.1 4.4 2.1 2.5 11.7
Office and administrative support occupations....... 3.4 8.2 24.8 4.7 14.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations......................................... 19.7 16.9 7.1 21.8 9.4
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......... .7 .5 .9 .2 .5
Construction and extraction occupations............. 15.3 12.5 3.5 19.8 5.0
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations... 3.7 3.9 2.6 1.7 3.8
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations......................................... 6.1 12.7 30.1 5.2 13.5
Production occupations.............................. 2.2 2.7 17.1 2.1 7.1
Transportation and material moving occupations...... 3.9 10.0 13.1 3.1 6.3
INDUSTRY
Total, 16 years and over (thousands)............... 10,342 2,454 1,217 813 123,843
Percent............................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Agriculture and related industries..................... 2.6 .6 - .2 1.2
Mining................................................. .1 1.0 .5 .2 .4
Construction........................................... 22.0 12.2 3.4 16.5 6.0
Manufacturing.......................................... 3.2 4.8 28.4 14.1 12.6
Wholesale trade........................................ 2.1 2.1 5.4 3.4 3.3
Retail trade........................................... 8.9 5.6 2.1 3.1 12.8
Transportation and utilities........................... 3.9 8.4 3.1 4.0 5.3
Information ........................................... 2.0 1.8 1.8 4.0 2.4
Financial activities................................... 10.4 3.4 4.1 6.8 7.5
Professional and business services..................... 21.3 7.7 31.9 10.4 8.6
Education and health services.......................... 8.7 33.8 11.1 15.7 22.0
Leisure and hospitality................................ 4.5 10.4 1.8 4.5 8.4
Other services......................................... 9.9 3.8 2.9 .3 4.4
Public administration.................................. .3 4.4 2.8 16.6 5.3
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 2005
Percent with health insurance Percent eligible for
coverage employer-provided pension
plan (2)
Total employed
Characteristic (thousands)
Included in
Total Provided by Total employer-pro-
employer (1) vided pension
plan
Contingent workers:
Estimate 1....................... 2,504 51.8 9.4 9.2 4.6
Estimate 2....................... 3,177 52.5 7.9 8.3 4.1
Estimate 3....................... 5,705 59.1 18.1 18.6 12.4
Noncontingent workers.............. 133,247 79.4 52.1 49.6 44.7
With alternative arrangements:
Independent contractors.......... 10,342 69.3 (3) 2.6 1.9
On-call workers.................. 2,454 66.9 25.7 33.2 27.8
Temporary help agency workers.... 1,217 39.7 8.3 8.9 3.8
Workers provided by contract
firms.......................... 813 80.2 48.9 42.6 33.5
With traditional arrangements...... 123,843 80.0 56.0 52.9 47.7
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 2005
(Percent distribution)
Contingent workers
Preference
Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3
Total, 16 years and over
(thousands).................. 2,504 3,177 5,705
Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0
Prefer noncontingent employment.... 62.7 57.3 55.3
Prefer contingent employment....... 31.3 35.1 35.5
It depends......................... 3.9 4.9 5.7
Not available...................... 2.2 2.6 3.5
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 2005
(Percent distribution)
Preference Independent contractors On-call workers Temporary help agency
workers
Total, 16 years and over
(thousands).................. 10,342 2,454 1,217
Percent........................ 100.0 100.0 100.0
Prefer traditional arrangement..... 9.1 44.6 56.2
Prefer indirect or alternative
arrangement...................... 82.3 46.1 32.1
It depends......................... 5.2 6.8 6.5
Not available...................... 3.4 2.5 5.2
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 2005
Percent distribution
Total
Arrangement (thousands) Contingent workers
Noncontingent
workers
Estimate 1 Estimate 2 Estimate 3
With alternative arrangements:
Independent contractors.......... 10,342 (1) 3.4 3.4 96.6
On-call workers.................. 2,454 10.4 10.6 24.6 75.4
Temporary help agency workers.... 1,217 30.4 37.8 60.7 39.3
Workers provided by contract
firms.......................... 813 6.8 9.8 19.5 80.5
With traditional arrangements...... 123,843 1.2 1.4 2.9 97.1
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 wage and salary workers and those
with alternative work arrangements by sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, February 2005
Contingent workers Workers with alternative arrangements
Characteristic Temporary Workers
Estimate Estimate Estimate Independent On-call help provided
1 2 3 contractors workers agency by
workers contract
firms
FULL-TIME WORKERS
Total, 16 years and over..... $405 $411 $488 $716 $519 $414 $756
Men.............................. 427 440 505 794 586 405 860
Women............................ 376 383 423 462 394 424 595
White............................ 413 421 498 731 561 418 772
Black or African American........ 344 375 387 474 303 375 (1)
Asian............................ (1) (1) 619 889 (1) (1) (1)
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 335 331 370 603 417 311 513
PART-TIME WORKERS
Total, 16 years and over..... $152 $152 $161 $253 $173 $224 $204
Men.............................. 165 169 183 330 206 253 (1)
Women............................ 142 138 149 216 159 202 (1)
White............................ 154 154 163 252 177 247 (1)
Black or African American........ 133 133 145 196 (1) (1) (1)
Asian............................ (1) (1) 190 (1) (1) (1) -
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity..... 152 153 175 207 249 (1) (1)
1 Data not shown where base is less than 100,000.
NOTE: Earnings data for contingent 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. Full- or part-time
status is determined by hours usually worked at sole or primary job. Dash represents zero.