Posts tagged disability insurance
Why Independent Workers — and the Companies That Hire Them — Need Portable Benefits
June 5, 2026 // Instead, one theme comes through clearly: Workers want benefits without giving up their current, flexible careers. Surveys say the same thing. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that only 8.3 percent of independent workers prefer a traditional employment arrangement, while more than 80 percent prefer their current work arrangement. At the same time, 4 out of 5 want access to benefits. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see portable benefits gain momentum and bipartisan buy-in: Kansas and Utah are among the eight states that have enacted reforms, Hawaii and Connecticut are among those considering it, and legislation has appeared in Congress as well. Reforms are advancing in states that prioritize the business environment and in others that focus on worker protection, because they expand access to benefits while remaining voluntary and market-oriented.
Opinion: Solving Gig Worker Problem will Open Up the Future of Work
December 21, 2022 // The costs and legal liability associated with classifying gig workers as employees would cripple the gig economy and cancel out all the productivity gains experienced over the last decade since the “gig economy” was first coined. This problem has puzzled policy wonks, judges, and legislators alike. The issue comes down to a simple, but loaded question: are gig workers employees or independent contractors? If gig workers were employees, platforms would be subject to legal and financial liability that would necessitate reducing worker flexibility. It would also be limited in the number of platforms they could work for at any given time. If gig workers were considered independent contractors, it removes this liability and maintains flexibility.