Measuring impact of alternative work

Technological advances combined with shifts in the way Americans view work and employment have bolstered a narrative that would suggest nearly everyone is supplementing their income — or making their entire living — driving for Uber.

While millions of Americans are indeed working in nontraditional jobs, measuring the size and impact of the alternative or gig economy remains a challenge for economists.

Workers in temporary help services industries — defined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics as “establishments primarily engaged in supplying workers to clients’ businesses for limited periods of time…