From Etsy stores to YouTube channels, a generation of young people are starting up their own 'side hustle’ outside of the regular nine-to-five. What’s driving these predominantly Gen Y workers to trade their free time for toil, and what does this reveal of their changing values and lifestyles?

Whether it was by renting out their flat, selling an old sofa or driving an Uber, 24% of Americans earned money from the digital platform economy in 2016. But while two-thirds think the flexibility of ‘gig work’ is great, over 40% of people don’t think they're the kind of jobs people can build careers from.

For some, working nine-to-five is no way to make a living, with more people than ever now ditching dead-end jobs in pursuit of flexible freelance work. Digital freelancing is growing at a rapid rate, and a number of companies are helping people find jobs and protect their rights.

Dissatisfied with rigid corporate structure, a growing number of people are opting to be self-employed; freelancers are set to make up 40% of the US workforce by 2020. Many independent workers are being drawn to coworking spaces in cities, but what’s the appeal of these communal offices?