AI gig work statistics 2026
Between 154 million and 435 million people do online gig work worldwide (World Bank). The platforms that supply AI labs with expert workers are now valued in the billions: Mercor at $10 billion after a $350 million round, Scale AI at $29 billion after Meta's $14.3 billion investment. On the 868 live listings we track, the typical stated rate is $60 to $90 an hour. Below: workforce, demand, funding, cuts, and our own pay data, each labelled as stated by a company, reported by the press, or from research.
How many people do this work?
- 154M to 435Mpeople worldwide do online gig work, 4.4% to 12.5% of the global labour force. The low figure counts registered workers on platforms; the high one adds people for whom gig work is a side or marginal job.Research or survey · 2023 · World Bank, Working Without Borders
- 545online gig work platforms counted by the same World Bank study, with workers and clients in 186 countries.Research or survey · 2023 · World Bank, Working Without Borders
- 28%of US skilled knowledge workers freelance or work independently, earning $1.5 trillion in 2024.Research or survey · Apr 2025 · Upwork Future Workforce Index
- 30,000+experts on Mercor's roster, earning over $85 an hour on average, with more than $1.5 million paid out a day.Stated by the company · Oct 2025 · TechCrunch, 27 Oct 2025
Is demand for AI training work growing?
- Up to 220%year-on-year growth in demand for generative AI modelling and AI data annotation skills on Upwork.Research or survey · Jan 2025 · Upwork, Most In-Demand Skills 2025
- 40%+more per hour earned by freelancers doing AI work than by those doing non-AI work; AI freelance earnings rose 25% in a year.Research or survey · Jun 2025 · Axios, on Upwork data
- #1AI engineer is the fastest-growing job in LinkedIn's 2026 Jobs on the Rise list for the US.Research or survey · Jan 2026 · LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026 (via Allwork)
- $500Mgross annual run rate reached by micro1, up from $7 million at the start of 2025.Stated by the company · Aug 2026 · TechCrunch, 20 Aug 2026
- $167MTuring's annualised revenue run rate when its Series E was priced.Stated by the company · Mar 2025 · Turing press release
Who raised how much?
| Company | When | Event | Amount | Valuation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| micro1 | Sept 2026 | New round | Over $100M | $4B | Forbes, 22 Sep 2026 (reported, not announced) |
| Mercor | Oct 2025 | Series C, led by Felicis | $350M | $10B | TechCrunch, 27 Oct 2025 |
| micro1 | Sept 2025 | Series A, led by 01 Advisors | $35M | $500M | micro1, Series A announcement |
| Scale AI | Jun 2025 | Meta investment for a 49% stake | $14.3B | $29B | CNBC, Jun 2025 |
| Turing | Mar 2025 | Series E, led by Khazanah Nasional | $111M | $2.2B | Turing press release, 6 Mar 2025 |
Layoffs and working conditions
- 200 staff and 500 contractorscut by Scale AI about a month after Meta's investment, roughly 14% of full-time staff. The interim CEO said the data-labelling business had scaled too quickly.Reported by the press, citing sources · Jul 2025 · TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg
- 16 platformsrated by Oxford's Fairwork project on pay, conditions, contracts, management and representation, from freelance marketplaces to data annotation services. The 2023 edition found most did not meet minimum standards.Research or survey · 2025 · Fairwork Cloudwork Report 2025
Pay on live listings (our data)
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Live AI training listings we track | 868 (Mercor, Turing, micro1) |
| Listings that state pay | 655 of 868 (75%) |
| Typical stated hourly range | $60 to $90 (median low to median high, 588 listings) |
| Lowest and highest stated hourly rate | $6 and $450 |
From the pay each listing states, as of 1 November 2026. We never estimate pay. Full method, data dictionary, and CSV and JSON downloads are on the AI training pay dataset page; live roles are on the job board.
How to cite this page
For third-party figures, also link the original source shown next to each number. We update this page monthly and keep older figures, so dates stay accurate.
Recurring reports we track
| Report | Comes out | What we use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford AI Index | Yearly, April | Investment, jobs and adoption figures |
| State of AI Report (Air Street Capital) | Yearly, October | Funding, labs and data-supplier trends |
| LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise | Yearly, January | Fastest-growing AI roles |
| Upwork In-Demand Skills and Future Workforce Index | Yearly | Freelance demand and earnings for AI work |
| Fairwork Cloudwork Ratings (Oxford) | About every two years | Working conditions on cloudwork and data platforms |
| World Bank online gig work estimates | Occasional | Size of the global online gig workforce |
Common questions
Monthly roundup: AI gig work news, October 2026.
Related: Mercor alternatives · Is Mercor legit? · Mercor supported countries · free tools