The survey asked 1,000 professionals about the freelance work they have taken on in recent months. Among the most significant findings:

• Four in 10 employed people are interested in freelancing in addition to their full-time job since the pandemic began.
• 60% of people working full time have started freelance work since the pandemic's onset.
• More than 20% of employed people started freelancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• More than half of respondents haven't told their full-time employer about their freelance work.
• Nearly 40% of respondents freelanced while on the clock for their primary job.
• More than one-third of employed people intend to freelance indefinitely.
• 54% of respondents have seen an increase in demand for their freelance services.
• 24% of respondents prefer their freelance work over their full-time job.

The freelance economy has been booming for years. In 2018, 56.7 million Americans were participating in freelance work, an increase of 3.7 million since 2014. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, 72% of employees surveyed had sought out freelance work, with 59% securing contract freelance work.

Although 78% of Americans currently engaged in freelance work picked up their gigs before the COVID-19 pandemic began, 22% of workers currently freelancing only began doing so during the health crisis. A vast majority of employees (82%) were interested in adding freelance work on top of their existing full-time jobs. For some employees, current remote work flexibility may be inspiring them to pursue freelance work – of the 1,000 employees polled, 69% identified having the ability to do their jobs from anywhere.

More than half of freelancers admitted to not telling their primary employers about the side work they'd picked up. While 49% of working Americans preferred their full-time jobs, 24% preferred the work they had been doing in their freelance jobs, while even more (27%) enjoyed both equally.

For some people, finding a balance between their freelance work and their primary job created some challenges. Twenty-three percent of employees acknowledged submitting work late at their primary job because of freelance obligations, and 17% submitted poor quality work at their primary job.

Nearly half of those surveyed would quit their full-time job if freelance work paid more. Opting to freelance in addition to working a primary job wasn't always a decision workers made out of necessity. More than half of respondents taking on freelance work in addition to their primary jobs rated their job security as excellent (52%) and had similarly positive outlooks on their workplace productivity (59%) and motivation (52%).

Not all Americans freelancing saw freelance work as a long-term solution for income. Eight percent expected to freelance for only a few more days, while 15% planned on freelancing for a few additional weeks and 19% for a few more months. Although some began freelancing only after the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than one in three workers expected to continue freelancing indefinitely.

"Many people are taking on freelance jobs in addition to their primary, full-time employment, occasionally causing conflict between their existing work responsibilities and the side work they've procured," the report concluded. "While the majority preferred the work they do in their full-time jobs, many would consider leaving those roles if their freelance work paid better."

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