The Growing Impact of the Free Agent Workforce

This excellent article in the Austin Statesman talks about the huge increase of free agent workers in the Austin area and also about the changing dynamics around the U.S. For example, since 2001 the free agent workforce in the U.S. has increased 14 percent and now accounts for 7.1 percent of the entire workforce.
An excerpt is below and the entire article can be found here.

Rise of the free-agent workforce
By Dan Zehr

Bernie Charland didn't exactly follow a traditional career path.

Over the course of his working life, he has lived in 10 different countries, moved almost 50 times and worked on an eclectic mix of projects — from Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics to Dell's early social media efforts.

Yet, despite the diversity of his experience, Charland spent the first 20-plus years of his career in the most traditional of working relationships: as an employee, working for an employer.

Full article