A Tale of Two Workforces: The Growing Dichotomy Between Full Time and Independent Professionals

Today’s issue of The Great Realization is guest authored by MBO Partners CEO Miles Everson

A Growing Workforce Dichotomy 

In 2024, we began to observe a direct correlation between a @Gallup workforce survey and analysis and our annual MBO State of Independence research study. 

Gallup reported three findings that paint a bleak outlook for full time employment:

• Employee engagement has reached an 11-year low
• Employee satisfaction returned to a record low
• Employees are seeking new jobs at the highest level since 2015

 Gallup refers to this shift as the “Great Detachment.”

For employers, this means that while turnover numbers may have slowed, concerns over employee productivity and future talent loss remain hidden organizational risks.

To make matters worse, when employees feel detached from their work, organizational change initiatives are likely to meet indifference or resistance, making any efforts to counteract this growing detachment an uphill battle. 

Here’s where things get interesting: while Gallup’s findings paint a frightening picture of full time employment, our State of Independence research study shows a very different outlook for independent professionals. 

Our 14th Annual MBO Partners State of Independence research study focused on the 72.7 million independent workers in the US in 2024 (up over 90% from 38.2 million in 2020).

Most independents become and remain independent because they want to. In 2024, (roughly in line with our findings from the last 10 years) 61% said working independently was their choice completely, while only 10% said it was a result of factors beyond their control.

Happier, Healthier, and More Financially Secure

Why are so many people opting to work independently? I think three data points say it all:

• 84% of Full-Time Independents say they are happier working on their own
• 79% say working on my own is better for my health
• 65% say they feel more secure working independently

Responses also speak to a greater sense of agency and fulfillment among Full-Time Independent workers.

I discuss some of the main drivers of these trends and why I think we will continue to see top performers shift to independent work as a greater percentage of the population exhibits an independent mindset in my upcoming book Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work and the Independent Mind.

Do I believe this spells the end of traditional full time employment in the US? Not at all. To continue to access the best talent, however, business leaders must understand the growing population of independents and the growing satisfaction that population has with their working arrangement.