Freelancers Are Getting Ruined by AI

At one time, freelancing was seen as the domain of plucky young writers and daring web designers. Now, it's a growing fact of life for billions of workers around the world, as companies break up full-time positions into contract work with less stability and protection by labor laws. That was already becoming the case back in 2009, when the fallout of the Great Recession forced thousands of out-of-work professionals to become freelancers to pay the bills. Jump ahead to 2024, when over 76 million Americans were said to be freelance workers, up from 64 million in 2023. That's over 36 percent of the workforce, a number that's expected to grow to over 50 percent by 2028, primarily driven by cost-cutting hiring practices. Though Wall Street-backed think tanks and Fortune 500 companies laud freelance as the "future of work," labor experts warn that self-employment is a dangerous precedent that allows companies to shirk labor laws and keep worker benefits at a minimum. While rosy think pie ... Read full article.