The percentage of the US workforce represented by freelancers held steady at 34% in 2015 from 2014, according to online staffing firm Upwork’s second annual Freelancing in America survey released today.

It follows another report out earlier this week on the independent workforce by MBO Partners. Upwork defines a freelancer as “individuals who have engaged in supplemental, temporary, project- or contract-based work, within the past 12 months.” At 34% of the US workforce, that equates to an estimated 53.7 million people, according to the report. Although the percentage of freelancers held steady at 34%, their number actually rose by 700,000 because of growth in the overall labor force.

This year’s survey also found a significant increase in the number of hours of freelance work being done. This year’s survey found freelancers worked an average of 18.6 hours a week, up from 15 hours a week in last year’s survey.

Freelancers’ income is also on the rise. Out of the freelancers that left traditional jobs to move to full-time freelance career, 60% said that they were making more money than they used to.

“Probably even more striking 78% of them said they made more money within a year,” Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel said.

The survey found more people are freelancing by choice — 60% said they started more by choice rather than necessity, up seven percentage points from last year — primarily driven by flexibility.

Technology is making it easier to find freelance work (73% of freelancers agree, compared to 69% in 2014). More than half, 51%, of freelancers had obtained a project online, up from 42% last year. And 50% of freelancers say they would not quit freelancing and take a traditional job with an employer — no matter how much it paid.

More than one-third of freelancers report that demand for their services increased in the past year, and nearly half expect their income from freelancing to increase in the coming year. Eighty-two percent of freelancers believe that increased opportunities for freelancers are a positive step for the economy.

“People are increasingly building flexible careers on their own terms, based on their passions, desired lifestyle and access to a much broader pool of opportunities than ever before in history,” Kasriel said. “While we are still relatively early in the rise of the freelance workforce, there’s no doubt its growth will continue. Professionals are not only turning away from traditional employment, once they do most have no desire to go back.”

Additional findings:

• Freelancers find work through a broad range of sources, led by 36% through friends and family and 35% through professional contacts.
• Flexibility is the top reason people choose to freelance full-time: When asked why they freelance, people freelancing full-time cited as major reasons freedom over when and where they work, being their own boss, and pursuit of work they are passionate about. Almost half of freelancers, 46%, said they freelance in order to have a schedule that allows them to provide care for a family member.
• Freelancers, especially millennials, are optimistic about the outlook for freelancing: 83% of freelancers believe the best days are ahead for freelancing, up from 77% last year. More than one-third of freelancers report demand for their services increased in the past year. Among all freelancers, 78% would recommend freelancing to their friends and family — with millennials being even more favorable at 84% who said they would recommend freelancing. Millennials are also the second most likely generation to start freelancing by choice, topped only by baby boomers.
• Interest in freelancing is high among professionals and many moonlighters are considering making the leap: Most non-freelancers are open to freelancing — 76% answered “yes” when asked if they would be willing to do additional work outside their primary job if it was available and enabled them to make more money. Meanwhile, a third of moonlighters (professionals with a primary, traditional job who are also freelancing on the side) said that they have considered quitting their primary job to work completely independently. If those moonlighters were to quit, that would add 4.6 million full-time freelancers to the workforce.  

Complete survey results are available online.

The study was conducted by research firm Edelman Berland. The online survey included 7,107 US adults who have done paid work in the past 12 months and was conducted from July 30 to August 14, 2015.