Accessibility Tools

Skip to main content

In Spite of Government Efforts to Limit Independent Contractors, Record Numbers Turn to Gig Work

Written on .

It is well known that numerous government agencies have an agenda to classify all workers as employees, instead of as independent contractors.  There are numerous reasons for this approach, one being that independent contractors do not have the protections of the employment laws, and cannot form unions, and the government may feel it has more difficulties collecting taxes from independent contractors.  In any event, in spite of these government efforts, 2023 surveys indicate that more than one-third of America's workers, an all-time high of sixty-four million people, do freelance or gig work.  A press release by Up Work stated that: "An increasing number of Americans are seeking greater flexibility, autonomy and earning power."

This article is part of our January 2024 Newsletter. 

View newsletter online

Download the newsletter as a PDF

Get Email Updates

Receive newsletters and alerts directly in your email inbox. Sign up below.
The May webinar will be led by Jim Wimberly, and the subject is the current status of the disparate impact theory of discrimination. The EE…
Early morning Bagan, Myanmar
The Trump Administration has acted to terminate TPS status for several countries.  Of course, litigation has followed each notice of termin…
staff
In many situations, employers utilizing staffing companies or other independent contractors to provide workers, enter into contracts with t…
discarded papers
During the Biden administration, a new concept was adopted by the Biden-appointed NLRB in which employers were required to bargain with a u…
be reasonable
In a memo to the NLRB regional offices in late February, NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey told regional NLRB officials to reduce efforts…
gender neutral bathroom sign
On February 26, 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that federal employers can lawfully block transgender worker…