According to a 2019 survey, of the 46 percent of freelancers in the United States unable to work a traditional job due to personal reasons, 43 percent stated this was the case because of health issues. Overall, this equates to around 20 percent of all freelancers in the U.S.
Freelancers here are broadly understood as individuals who engage in supplemental, temporary, project - or contract-based work.
Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019
adults who have done paid work in the past 12 months
Method of interview
Online survey
Supplementary notes
Values are calculated from the 46 percent of total respondents who agreed they are unable to work for a traditional employer due to personal reasons.
** Physical disease, disability, mental health etc.
*** Caregiving, childcare etc.
Freelancers are defined by the source as "individuals who have engaged in supplemental, temporary, project - or contract-based work, within the last 12 months".
Original question: "Why aren't you able to work a traditional job?"
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Upwork. (October 3, 2019). Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 03, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/
Upwork. "Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019." Chart. October 3, 2019. Statista. Accessed January 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/
Upwork. (2019). Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/
Upwork. "Reasons Freelance Workers in The United States Cannot Work a Traditional Job in 2019." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Oct 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/
Upwork, Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/ (last visited January 03, 2025)
Reasons freelance workers in the United States cannot work a traditional job in 2019 [Graph], Upwork, October 3, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128182/reasons-people-freelancing-cannot-work-traditional-job-us/
