The document provides an analysis of news and social media coverage and discussion of the independent workforce from July 2015 through June 2016. Some key findings include: 1) Coverage in mainstream media was generally positive and focused on growth statistics, while social media discussion was more negative and focused on challenges like taxes, insurance, and income stability. 2) Different audiences within the independent workforce, like parents, retirees, recent graduates and small business owners, had varying concerns - parents discussed flexibility but also loneliness, while retirees focused on ensuring sufficient income and managing taxes/insurance. 3) Recent graduates and small business owners were more likely than others to discuss difficulties earning enough and look for advice from others on topics important

1. Analysis of News and Social Media
The Vulnerability of the Independent Workforce
Delivered August 5, 2016

2. Copyright ©2016 Cision. All rights reserved.2
Objectives
The Rockefeller Foundation would like to better understand how
the independent workforce is covered in mainstream media and
discussed in social channels to better understand media
perception around the topic and obtain key findings to inform
strategy, and drive tactical decisions.
Specifically:
• How is the independent workforce covered in mainstream news
and blogs?
• What themes emerge organically in coverage and online
discussion?
• What influential voices surface in news and online discussion?
• How has discussion and coverage shifted over the past year?
• How do independent workers feel about their shift to working
for themselves?
• Are there particular audience profiles that surface in discussion
that warrant further research?
About this Report

3. Copyright ©2016 Cision. All rights reserved.3
Approach
• English-language searches were constructed to capture news
and social conversation related to the independent workforce in
the US.
• For news and blog content, the searches captured references
to the independent workforce at large.
• Searches for the social media analysis leveraged first person
qualifiers to ensure that the queries returned personal accounts
of members of the independent workforce to help analyze the
voice of this group.
• A 1% sample of Twitter discussion was used for the analysis as
comprehensive historic data was not available for collection.
• LexisNexis data was included in the analysis of overall news
and blog content, but was not included in the analysis of topic
and tone.
Reporting Time Period
• July 1 2015 through June 30,2016
About this Report (continued)

4. Copyright ©2016 Cision. All rights reserved.4
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000 Neutral Negative Positive
The Independent Workforce At-A-Glance
Negative Discussion Drivers Among
Independent Workers
10% Taxes
9% General Worry
7% Insurance
4% Asking Questions
3% Unemployment
1% Not Earning Enough
1% Loneliness
1% Hourly Rate
<1% Additive Work
Volume
Tone of News/MSM and Blog Coverage
Audience Segmentation SOV
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
Parents Retirees Recent
Grad
SBO
PostVolume
5%
3%
1%
11%
VolumeofNeutralToneArticles/Posts
VolumeofPositiveorNegativeToneArticles/Posts
541K posts
from news/MSM and blogs
132K posts
from social media channels

5. Copyright ©2016 Cision. All rights reserved.5
2. Niches within the independent workforce have been found
with varying perceptions, fears and affinities
• Recent graduates and small business owners were two
audiences that over-indexed on the prevalence of discussion
about not earning enough; twice as high as compared to total
independent workers.
• Parents expressed concerns about loneliness and isolation
twice as often as other groups of independent workers
• Retirees most often discussed their income, a need to look for
work and had frequent questions about taxes and their
retirement plans.
Key Findings
1. There was a disconnect between news coverage of the
independent workforce and the voice of independent
workers on social media channels.
• Media coverage leaned positive: Article cited statistics, growth
in number of works and evidence the group succeeded
financially
• Social media discussion more negative: Workers shared both
the pros and cons, as well as tips on taxes, insurance and
conversation about general worry which surface in one quarter
of all discussions
• News media focused on the benefits for business, while social
media focused on people looking for work.

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Coverage in Mainstream News Media and Blogs

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0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Jul-15 Sep-15 Nov-15 Jan-16 Mar-16 May-16
Industry reports discussing the growth and size of the independent
workforce contributed to upticks in coverage
Independent Worker Coverage on News and Blogs Trend Over Time
Coverage about independent workers peaked in July
2015 and did not reach the same level of news/MSM
attention again until May 2016. Upticks in coverage
included:
a) Jul ‘15: Peak discussion occurred in July, boosted by
coverage on FinancialContent, and BizJournals
discussing estimates that contractors will account for
40% of the workforce by 2020 and stories discussing
the demand for freelancers continues to increase as
employers look for ways to decrease overhead costs
and streamline operations.
b) Sep’15: Independent workforce coverage increased,
boosted by stories related to the release of MBO
Partners results from the fifth annual study on the
American independent workforce.
c) Oct’15:A report authored by Freelancers Union and
Upwork shared insights about the independent
workforce and sized the group at an estimate 54M
workers in the US.
d) May’16: LA Times coverage related to SuperShuttle
suing California to classify workers as contractors
instead of employees.
VolumeofArticles/Posts
a b
c
d

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Coverage outlined how the independent workforce differed from full
time employees and the impact this distinction had for employers
Mainstream News Media and Blog Discussion Drivers
• Coverage often included explanations and differentiation
around topics like pay, services provided and considered
factors like contracts, taxes and benefits.
• Stories about lawsuits also surface, largely between
companies and the state, maintaining that their workers
were independent contractors and not full time employees
in order to avoid providing the benefits associated with full
time employment (etc. insurance, paid time off).
• Topics like taxes showed an increase in coverage in March
and April as filing deadlines approached.
• Similarly, peaks in insurance coverage occurred in
November and December, when many providers have
open enrollment for employees.
7%
7%
8%
8%
8%
8%
9%
10%
11%
12%
14%
15%
16%
18%
20%
22%
22%
27%
27%
37%
traditional
independent contractors
taxes
freelancers
uber
hire
demand
insurance
temporary
self employed
contract
benefits
income
employment
companies
according
services
jobs
pay
business

9. Copyright ©2016 Cision. All rights reserved.9
Coverage was largely positive in tone, with many stories citing
research that indicated the group was thriving financially
Mainstream News Media and Blog: Tone
• Positive coverage peaked in August, boosted by a
BizJournal story highlighting the benefits of hiring
freelancers as an employer.
• Another notable increase in positive coverage occurred in
February, related to New York City's consideration of legal
protection for freelancers who suffer wage theft.
• Litigation news contributed to negative stories about the
independent workforce, most notably between Uber’s
appeal of The California Labor Commission that it’s
drivers should be considered employees.
• News in November also included coverage that sharing
economy startups from Silicon Valley have written a letter
asking that freelancers, like any worker, should be offered
an affordable solution for healthcare, insurance and
retirement.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
45000
Neutral Negative Positive
VolumeofNeutralToneArticles/Posts
VolumeofPositiveorNegativeToneArticles/Posts

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Social Media Channel Analysis

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Increased engagement in forum discussion on BabyCenter and
CityData contributed to upticks in buzz in the last year
Independent Workers Social Media Discussion Trend Over Time
Upticks in social media discussion included:
a) Aug ‘15: Driven by forum discussion on BabyCenter.
The most active threads discussed undocumented
immigrants in political Jobs to tips on working at home
and advice on tax withholdings for stay at home
moms.
b) Jan ‘16: Conversation on BabyCenter as community
members asked others to weigh in on “Where Can I
cut and what is a priority?” Discussion included the
ebb and flow of income for freelance work, and trying
to mitigate fixed expenses and weigh the need for
expenses on items like life insurance. CityData
discussion focused on a thread called “Many Find Life
Cheaper Without Obamacare” as well as weighting the
benefits of being an employee vs. independent
contractor.
c) Mar ‘16: CityData discussion contributed to increased
volume in March, boosted by engagement on threads
discussing, the best part time or free lance
opportunities during retirement, how to find a part time
job, contesting independent contractor status and
temp jobs positioned as “temp to hire.”
PostVolume
a
b
c
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
Jul-15 Sep-15 Nov-15 Jan-16 Mar-16 May-16

12. Copyright © 2016 Cision. All rights reserved.12
Finding Work
Income
Tips
News Sharing
Resume
Flexibility
Networking
Sites
Gig Economy
Taxes
General Worry
Insurance
Asking Questions/Advice
Unemployment
Not Earning Enough
Loneliness
Hourly Rate
Additive Income
Some independent workers missed having colleagues, insurance benefits and voiced
frustration with setting and justifying rates
Social Discussion Tone & Drivers
• The discussion drivers that surfaced within social
discussion for independent workers were evenly divided in
tone, with half yielding positive social net sentiment scores
while the other half leaned negative in tone overall.
• Positive discussion was driven by individuals sharing
news about their growing freelance opportunities or
diversifying skill sets to find more opportunities. Of note,
the most widely discussed topic among independent
workers, finding work did skew positive in tone overall.
• Negative conversation included:
• confusion around filing for taxes and tax
withholdings
• general worry about earning enough income to
make ends meet
• concerns about not having standard insurance
benefits (health, dental, life)
• missing the collaboration and interaction with
coworkers (loneliness)
• difficulty setting and having to justify hourly rates
Positive Discussion Drivers
Negative Discussion Drivers
<1%
1%
1%
3%
3%
7%
9%
12%
16%
<1%
1%
1%
1%
3%
4%
7%
9%
10%
*Please note that discussion drivers were grouped as positive or negative based on the net sentiment score for the topic.

13. Copyright © 2016 Cision. All rights reserved.13
The importance of particular topics varied by audience, with SBOs prioritizing sharing tips and
asking questions above other groups
Discussion Drivers
Several distinct voices emerged within
independent worker discussion, specifically:
parents, retirees, recent graduates and small
business owners (11%, 5%, 3% and 1% of
independent worker social discussion
respectively).
• While many of the discussion drivers ranked
of similar importance across audiences,
there were a few notable differences that
emerged.
• Not surprising, SBOs did not rank finding
work of top importance like other audiences,
given that this group owned their own
business.
• For SBOs, income ranked most important.
• Recent grads and SBOs were more likely to
discuss tips and look for advice on finding
employment.
• General worry about employment was more
prevalent in conversation among parents,
recent grads and SBOs.

14. Copyright © 2016 Cision. All rights reserved.14
Audience Profiles
Recent graduates over-indexed on
more than half of the most
prominent discussion drivers
• Some audiences were more likely to discuss particular
topics than compared to total independent workers.
• Recent grads were nearly four times as likely as
independent workers overall to discuss taking on additive
work, meaning a freelance or contract job opportunity in
addition to their current full time or part time job.
Topic Parent Retirees
Recent
Grad
SBO
Finding Work 124 133 221 0
Income 115 243 139 167
Taxes 67 206 90 0
Tips 114 116 270 144
General Worry 169 121 215 128
News Sharing 108 123 220 0
Insurance 145 229 154 0
Asking Questions 92 97 209 131
Flexibility 218 183 163 156
Resume 63 76 369 83
Unemployment 88 194 220 0
Not Earning Enough 149 158 251 241
Loneliness 211 128 204 115
Networking 76 119 273 188
Sites 11 26 68 217
Hourly Rate 56 123 151 283
Additive Work 173 117 396 179
Gig Economy 20 130 51 800
*Please note orange shaded boxes represent a score notably above index.

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20%
Finding
Work
2x
Flexibility
15%
General
Worry
2x
Loneliness
13%
Income
11%
Sharing
Tips
10%
Insurance
Parents valued the flexibility independent work offered, but were twice as likely to
express feelings of loneliness
Parents
• Some of the top discussion drivers among parents were topics that
generally leaned positive in tone, such a finding work, income and
sharing tips and advice about independent work.
• Some parents discussed moving from a full time position to a contract
position at the same company following the birth of a child. Other
parents were on Etsy or similar sites, selling handmade goods as
supplemental income.
• Parents were twice as likely to discuss the flexibility of their schedule,
and appreciated the ability to organize their days around family
commitments and childcare schedules.
• Negative conversation among parents included general expressions
of worry and stress, feeling overwhelmed about trying to manage
hectic schedules.
• The lack of insurance benefits was another pain point that surfaced
among the five most discussed topics for this group.
• Parents were also twice as likely to express feelings of loneliness with
their work situation. Some mentioned that they missed having
colleagues to collaborate with or just having day to day interactions
with.
Top Discussion Drivers Top Indexing Topics

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Retirees were focused on income, often leveraging independent work to supplement retirement
budget or offset unforeseen expenses
Retirees
28%
Income
2x
Income
21%
Finding
Work
2x
Insurance
21%
Taxes
2x
Taxes
16%
Insurance
11%
General
Worry
Top Discussion Drivers Top Indexing Topics • As an audience, retirees were focused on making sure their finances
were in order to ensure sufficient income to cover expenses without
working. Many, however, discussed independent work to help offset
unforeseen medical expenses or to supplement a lean retirement
budget.
• Three of the top 5 discussion drivers among retirees were topics that
all leaned negative in tone: taxes, insurance and general worry.
Retirees were twice as likely to discuss taxes and insurance as
independent workers overall.
• Chief tax concerns included questions about tax deductions, 1099
forms and IRAs.

17. Copyright © 2016 Cision. All rights reserved.17
35%
Finding
Work
3x
Additive
Work
25%
Sharing
Tips
3x
Resume
20%
General
Worry
2x
Networking
16%
Income
2x
Sharing
Tips
16%
News
Sharing
2x
Not
Earning
Enough
Top Discussion Drivers Top Indexing Topics • The audience was more likely to discuss resumes, considering how to
best position independent or freelance work, and twice as likely to
discuss strategies for networking.
• Recent graduates were motivated in their search for employment, with
sharing tips and advice on how to find jobs (full time and independent
work) surfacing in one quarter of buzz among the group.
• They also actively shared or discussed articles about the gig economy
and independent work on social channels like Twitter and Facebook.
• Recent graduates were more than three times as likely as
independent workers generally to take on work or projects in addition
to current full time and part time employment as the audience was
eager to have supplemental income.
• While many top discussion drivers for the audience leaned positive in
tone, negative conversation for this group included general anxiety
and worry about finding work and concerns about not being able to
earn enough to pay their bills, surfacing twice as likely as independent
workers overall.
More than one third of discussion among recent grads focused on finding work
Recent Graduates

18. Copyright © 2016 Cision. All rights reserved.18
SBOs were likely to look to others for tips or advice or ask questions about topics
important to them, like income and hourly rates
Small Business Owners
19%
Income
2x
Hourly
rate
13%
Sharing
Tips
2x
Not
Earning
Enough
12%
General
Worry
2x
Sites
6%
Asking
Question
5%
Flexibility
Top Discussion Drivers Top Indexing Topics • SBOs were twice as likely to discuss hourly rates than total
independent workers. This conversation included questions to other
independent workers about what factors they took into consideration
to help set rates or provide quotes on projects.
• They were also more likely to discuss freelancer sites like Elance or
Upwork, noting positive or negative experiences trying to outsource or
subcontract business through these sites.
• Like recent graduates, SBOs were also twice as likely to talk about
their worries about not earning enough income to make ends meet or
relay that they were struggling to make a living.

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