You keep seeing the same phrase in remote job listings: “independent contractor.” You’re not entirely sure what that means for you, or whether it’s better or worse than the part-time employee positions you’ve been searching for. Here’s what it means in practice: a small business owner who used to post a part-time employee position and hope to find someone willing to come into the office now posts a remote contractor role for 15 hours a week, receives applications from experienced professionals across the country, and hires someone who starts producing results within days. She chose this model deliberately, and understanding why she made that choice changes how you approach every application.
McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey found that 36 percent of employed Americans now identify as independent workers, up from 27 percent in 2016, with more than 70 percent relying on independent work as their primary income. For moms seeking flexible remote work, understanding why this shift is happening changes how you position yourself, price your services, and approach every application.
Why the Demand for What You Offer Is Growing
The economics work directly in your favor. A full-time employee at $45,000 per year actually costs a small business $55,000 to $65,000 with payroll taxes, benefits, and overhead. A contractor at $30 an hour for 15 hours a week costs roughly $23,000 annually with none of that, and hours can scale based on need. That math means more businesses can afford to hire you, and more of them are actively looking.
The deeper driver is expertise. A five-person company can’t afford a full-time marketing director, bookkeeper, and operations manager. It can afford all three as contractors at ten to fifteen hours a week. That’s where you come in, bringing specialized skills a single generalist never would.
What This Means for How You Present Yourself
The most important shift for job seekers is moving from “I’m looking for a job” to “I solve a specific problem.” A business owner hiring a contractor isn’t filling a seat. She’s looking for someone who can own a function and deliver results without close management.
That changes what belongs in your application. Instead of listing responsibilities from your last role, describe the problem you solve: “I take over client communication and CRM management so business owners can focus on revenue-generating work” or “I manage bookkeeping end to end, from daily categorization through monthly P&L reporting, so you always know where your business stands.” That language mirrors how the business owner thinks about the role and gives her a clear picture of what changes in her daily workload the moment she brings you on.
How the Multi-Client Model Works in Your Favor
One of the underappreciated advantages of contractor work is building a portfolio of clients rather than depending on a single employer. Two clients at ten hours each gives you the same weekly workload as one twenty-hour position but with significantly more income security. Losing one client doesn’t eliminate your entire income. You also gain broader experience across industries, which makes you more valuable to every subsequent client.
The key is treating each client relationship as a professional engagement. Set clear deliverables, communicate proactively, and maintain consistent quality that generates referrals. The businesses hiring contractors today are looking for partners, and the professionals who show up with that mindset build sustainable, flexible careers.
The phrase “independent contractor” that kept appearing in those job listings isn’t a lesser version of employment. It’s the model that was built for the way you want to work.
At HireMyMom, we connect moms with small businesses actively hiring remote professionals for exactly these kinds of roles. Start browsing opportunities today.