In business, free agents are people who work independently for themselves, rather than for a single employer.
[1] The term "free agent" is believed to have been coined by American writer Daniel H. Pink, author of a 1997 cover story in Fast Company titled “Free Agent Nation.”[2] In 2001 Pink published a book with the same name.
The combination of several workplace trends – including shortened job cycles, the increase of project work, the acceptance of a new lifestyle and the emergence of the Internet and other technologies – points to free agent workers becoming more of an employment norm in the coming years.
In a 2011 survey sponsored by Kelly Services, free agency is on the rise across all generations, with mature workers making up two-thirds of the free agent population.
[3] According to Pink and his peers, the free agent trend has measurably benefited numerous U.S. companies.