Seven in 10 freelancers would consider moving, thanks to job flexibility, creating a large pool of potential residents attractive to state and local governments, according to a policy brief developed by SUNY Empire State and Rockefeller Institute’s new Future of Labor Research Center.
The joint Future of Labor Research Center explores the growth of the mobile workforce and examines economic development initiatives aimed at attracting and maintaining these workers.
The research brief on the growth of the mobile workforce said as the mobile workforce expands, policy makers are looking to implement new strategies to attract them.
“The trend away from lifelong careers in factory or office jobs to a more flexible and more freelance workforce is already having profound effects throughout society, from education to health care to economic development,” said Jim Malatras, president of SUNY Empire State College and chair of the Rockefeller Institute board of advisors.
“It’s critical that we understand these changes so that policy makers and stakeholders can make smart decisions for long-term growth and worker protections. Research like this from the new Future of Labor Research Center will be an invaluable resource moving forward.”
The research highlights some of the characteristics of this expanding workforce:
• More women now work from home than men.
• Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont were the states with the three largest work-from-home populations.
• Summit Park, Utah, has the highest percentage of civilian workers who worked from home at 13.9 percent. Utah is the fastest-growing work-from-home state.
The policy brief also explores how the growing mobile workforce may drive broadband expansion in rural areas, a long-standing goal of federal and state governments.
The brief is the first research released as part of the Future of Labor Research Center, a collaboration between expert faculty at SUNY Empire State College’s Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor and researchers and analysts at the Rockefeller Institute that will examine the changing nature of work, workers, and worker organizations.
Officials said that across the nation, the mobile workforce is expanding. An estimated 57 million Americans are freelancing, with more than a quarter of them full-time. As job flexibility expands and the choice of where to live becomes disentangled from job centers, many workers are considering living outside of large cities.
Tax breaks, recruiting programs, and expansion of workers’ rights are among the strategies being used by policy makers to capitalize on these shifting attitudes and constraints, according to the policy brief.
“Many local governments, especially in rural areas, see the growing mobile workforce as a tremendous opportunity to bolster local economies and stem the tide of declining populations,” said Patricia Strach, interim executive director at the Rockefeller Institute. “States, too, are taking steps to improve quality of life and expand worker protections for alternative workers in hopes of drawing new residents.”
The Rockefeller Institute of Government is the public policy research arm of the State University of New York. It conducts research and analysis to inform lasting solutions to the problems facing New York state and the nation.
To learn more, visit www.esc.edu.
