Results from new research by faculty members Katharine Abraham, John Haltiwanger and two Census Bureau collaborators were cited in a September 25 article in the Washington Post. The referenced research made use of tax data on the earnings of self-employed drivers, including both traditional taxi drivers and (in more recent years) drivers using ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft. The study documented the enormous growth in the number of self-employed drivers since the introduction of these apps and the increasing share of drivers who combine income from driving with a wage and salary job rather than relying exclusively on driving for their livelihood. These changes in the transportation services labor market are due, the authors argue, to the new ride-hailing apps having lowered the barriers to working as a driver on a part-time and flexible basis.

Read the full article in the Washington Post.