Ten years from now, more than half of the workforce will be dabbling on the independent side. Here's what contractors – and companies – can expect, according to MBO Partners' forecast, "What Will the Independent Workforce Look Like in 2027?"
MBO Partners' predictions explore how automation and AI will create new opportunities; Gen Z will become the most independent generation yet; traditional "retirement" will no longer be the goal; companies will need to attract top talent by being a "client of choice;" and policies will evolve to match the changing nature of work.
"As the tide shifts towards a predominantly independent workforce, we will see changes in legal policy and federal law need to change to keep pace with this fast changing economy," the authors write. "It is our hope that these policies will help unleash the power of the independent workforce – a group that already generates $1.2 trillion dollars in annual revenue for the U.S. economy, further enabling independents to serve as an economic powerhouse that helps keep the nation on a strong economic path for years to come."
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No. 1: The majority of the workforce will be independent.
By 2027, close to 6 in 10 (58 percent) of Americans will be independent, or will have worked independently at some point in their careers. Currently, more than 40 million Americans, about 32 percent of the current private workforce, work as independent contractors, a number that has grown for each of the seven years of MBO Partners' SOI study.
Currently, 16.9 million of these workers are independent full time, meaning they work 15 or more hours per week as independents – By 2027, "this number will swell."
No. 2: Traditional employment will be cyclical.
Independents will cycle in and out of traditional employment. People will continue to go independent in record numbers, as they strive for more flexibility and work-life balance, as well as the opportunity to earn more income and take control of their career, according to the report.
"Many will return to full- or part-time traditional work as they need to learn new skills or advance their careers, and then cycle back to independent work as desired, such as in retirement or after the birth of a child," the authors write. "This shift is not a failure on the part of independence, but rather a trend towards a new way of working that puts the individual, not the employer or client, in control of one's own career future."
No. 3: A barbell effect will continue.
Independents will work at both ends of the economic spectrum, partnering with the likes of Uber and TaskRabbit on the low end, and on the high-end, offering high-priced professional services. Indeed, more than one in five independents is reporting six-plus figure salaries, according to MBO Partners' "State of Independence In America 2017." 
No. 4: People will buy results, not labor.
Work will be broken in to tasks, and executed as components of a whole. As independent contractors become more specialized, they will then be able to replicate components of work and earn higher profits, with less time. This type of work will increasingly be contracted via online marketplaces; in MBO Partners' 2017 survey, 20 percent of independents say they had used an online platform in the past year, up from just 3 percent in 2012. In 10 years, the firm predicts nearly all independents will use marketplaces to supplement or find work.
No. 5: Independents will team up to get maximum results.
"Both the client and the independent contractor benefits," the authors write. "Clients enjoy a cohesive product without the hassle of managing multiple individuals, and ICs get the benefit of larger projects and the ability to network and partner with ICs who have adjacent and complementary skill sets."
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
