The share of Americans earning income from digital platforms such as Uber, eBay and Airbnb is expanding rapidly. For the most part, these activities supplement income rather than replace full time work. According to a study of bank transactions by the JPMorgan Chase Institute, nearly one percent of U.S. adults earned income in September of last year via one of the growing number of firms that are part of the sharing or gig economy.
Thanks in large measure to Uber, participation is such sharing platforms is exploding. In October of twenty twelve, only zero point one percent of adults earned money through such platforms. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, at two point five million, the sharing labor force is roughly equivalent to the number of people working for public schools in the U.S.
However, while most educators hold down full time jobs, the sharing economy is largely oriented around part-time positions. And most of these people have other sources of income. The average income for someone who supplied labor via a sharing platform is a bit more than five hundred dollars per month.
