The On-Demand Economy has hit the headlines and caught mainstream attention. Often referred to as the sharing economy, this rapidly growing segment includes high-profile players such as Airbnb (lodging), Uber and Lyft (taxi services), Handy (clean- ers), Etsy (crafts), TaskRabbit (general tasks) and many others. Broadly defined, the On-Demand economy refers to economic activity generated through the use of online platforms and marketplaces that help customers quickly connect and transact with suppliers of goods and services.
The MBO State of Independence research series defines independent workers as people who regularly work at least 1 hour in an average work week as an independent worker, and includes the self-employed, freelancers, independent contractors and consultants, on-call workers, temps and those on fixed term contracts (see the 2014 MBO Partners State of Independence report for a detailed definition). 
In 2014 there were roughly 30 million Americans working as independent workers, with about 18 million regularly working 15 or more hours per week as an independent worker and about 12 million regularly working 1-14 hours per week as an independent worker.
About 9% of U.S. independent workers – roughly – report using at least one On-Demand economy platform or marketplace as a source of work or income. Of those 2.7 million who were active in the On-Demand economy, about 1 in 4 – 675,000 – report using more than one On-Demand Economy platform or marketplace to generate income.
By far the most commonly used type of On-Demand Economy platforms or marketplaces are the online prod- uct marketplaces provided by firms such as EBay, Amazon and Etsy and others (Craigslist was excluded from this analysis). About 2.2 million independent workers reported using one of these marketplaces to generate income over the past year.
Online talent marketplaces such as Freelancer.com were the second most popular type, with roughly 900,000 U.S. independent workers reporting in as users in 2014.
Sharing economy platforms and marketplaces such as Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and others came in 3rd, with about 500,000 independent workers reporting using these to get work or generate income.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at MBO Partners – On-Demand Economy 2014 | State of Independence.
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