8 new ways Americans are escaping the 9-to-5 grind

Are Americans Finally Breaking Free from the 9-to-5 Workday? (Image: Pexels)

The traditional 9-to-5 job of fixed hours, one employer and one location is no longer the default for many Americans. In the wake of Covid-19, rising platform work and changing attitudes about purpose and stability, people are inventing alternative work lives that trade rigid hours for flexibility, control and a mix of income sources. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of US employment data from 2019 to 2022, Americans are increasingly seeking alternatives to rigid work schedules, embracing flexibility, remote work, gig economy roles and career changes that defy the conventional office routine. Here are eight new ways Americans are escaping the 9-to-5 grind –

The Pew Research Center‘s analysis of monthly employment data through March 2022 revealed that about 2.5% of workers switched jobs each month, with a notable 60% of those job switchers experiencing real wage gains despite inflation pressures. Many Americans are voluntarily leaving jobs that no longer meet their financial or scheduling need. As one report summarised, “From April 2021 to March 2022, half of the workers who changed jobs experienced a real increase of 9.7% or more over their pay a year earlier, while the median worker who remained in the same job experienced a loss”.

Moving to remote and hybrid schedules

Remote work has solidified as a mainstream work arrangement to escape traditional office hours and locations, favouring flexible work-life boundaries. About a third of US workers who can work from home now do so all the time, as per a 2023 report by Pew Research Center. Roughly three years after the Covid-19 pandemic upended US workplaces, about a third (35%) of workers with jobs that can be done remotely are working from home all of the time. A substantial share of teleworkable jobs stayed remote or hybrid after the pandemic. For many workers, remote work delivers the flexibility they want (71% say it helps work–life balance) and that flexibility itself is an escape from the strict 9-to-5 office clock.

Nearly a quarter of Americans have earned money through the digital platform economy within the past year, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey on gig and sharing economies. This trend enables workers to pick projects or jobs on their own terms, offering freedom from fixed schedules and locations. The State of Gig Work in 2021 by Pew Research Center found that 16% of Americans have always earned money through an online gig platform and for many current or recent gig platform workers, the money they earn through these jobs is essential or important for meeting their basic needs. Although platform gig work is not the majority of the workforce, it is a material escape hatch from rigid jobs where people use apps to deliver, do errands or complete tasks on their own schedule. For some it is supplemental while for others it is a primary source of income or the only available flexible option.

Remote work is not just a perk, it has become a make-or-break job condition for many. Rather than return to five days in the office, large groups of employees prefer to quit and shift to employers who offer remote options or find alternative work arrangements. A recent 2025 research paper published in the Journal of Business Research, studied employee preferences toward flexible work arrangements post-pandemic using advanced logit modelling, concluding that flexibility in work hours and locations strongly influences employee satisfaction and retention. The paper underscores that flexible arrangements reduce stress and improve work-life balance. Many remote workers say they would be likely to leave their job if they could no longer work from home or so a recent 2025 study by Pew Research Center claimed. Almost half (46%) say they would be unlikely to stay at their current job if their employer no longer allowed them to work from home.

Pew data from 2022 shows that about half of workers changing employers also switch industries or occupations, reflecting a broader trend of seeking more fulfilling or flexible career paths. This kind of mobility disrupts the traditional career ladder linked to 9-to-5 office roles.

A look at small businesses in the US by Pew Research Center in April 2024 found that there were nearly 1.8 million high-propensity business applications in 2023, up from about 1.3 million in 2019. Business formation surged after the pandemic and remains elevated as many Americans are trading employee status for owner/operator roles (shops, services, online storefronts). Starting a small business is a classic way to leave the 9-to-5 and build a schedule and income model under one’s own control.

Pew Research Center‘s 2024 study found that “54% of workers who are not self-employed say their employer monitors the time they start and finish working.” Many workers report feeling monitored (clock-in/out tracking, activity monitoring). The desire for autonomy to set hours, decline surveillance and escape managerial oversight is a major factor that is pushing people towards freelancing, self-employment or remote roles. Pew’s surveys link monitoring and dissatisfaction to the pull toward alternative arrangements.

Pew’s 2021 study reports that younger workers are more likely to see their current job as a “stepping stone” and the gig survey shows that younger adults are disproportionately represented among platform workers (about 30% of 18–29 year-olds have ever earned money through a gig platform). Instead of relying on a single employer, many (especially younger) Americans combine a main job, part-time contracts and freelance gigs, creating portfolio careers that prioritise diversification, experimentability and schedule flexibility over a single corporate ladder. Pew’s age breakdowns show that the trend is concentrated among younger cohorts.Americans are increasingly breaking free from the constraints of the traditional 9-to-5 workday through multiple avenues. Job switching for better pay and flexibility, embracing remote and hybrid work, engaging with gig economies and pursuing alternative schedules and careers collectively define a rapidly evolving workforce. Backed by Pew Research Center data, these trends highlight a fundamental shift toward work that better aligns with individual preferences and changing societal norms.