Posts tagged self-employment
Protect Worker Freedom to Best Help Black Women, All Workers
August 21, 2025 // The removal of DEI positions and programming under the second Trump Administration is also credited with having a disparate impact on Black women. This argument might sound reasonable to regular people, but data doesn’t prove it. Black women are overrepresented in federal jobs compared to private sector employment. They comprise 6.6% of the civilian workforce but 12.1% of the federal workforce, the largest differential among racial demographics.
Republican senators unveil “portable benefits” bill for gig workers
July 7, 2025 // Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-L.A.) unveiled a bill on Monday that would make it easier for companies to offer benefits to gig workers without making them full-fledged employees. Why it matters: As more Americans turn to gig work and self-employment, there's a growing push to get them access to things like paid sick leave, health insurance and retirement benefits. Zoom in: Called the Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act, the bill is part of legislative package from Cassidy, along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Both also plan on unveiling related bills Monday.
Freelance Busting: Heart’s Desire
June 10, 2025 // Indeed found that 48% of women who switched to contract work reported improved mental health, and of the women who changed to gig work, one-third (38%) reported improved mental health. GrowTal/Opinium reported that 72% of women freelancers say their overall mental wellbeing has improved since freelancing. Freshbooks Cloud Accounting determined that 59% of self-employed women say they have less stress, and 57% of self-employed women say they’re healthier.
New Jersey Copycats California’s Job-Destroying Policy
June 3, 2025 // This proposal comes five years after the New Jersey legislature attempted and failed to codify the ABC test. A controversial bill in 2019–the same year that California passed AB5——failed to pass after loud public outcry from industries and independent contractors themselves. What policymakers could not enact through the law, they’re now seeking to advance through regulation.
Op-Ed: Rep. Kevin Kiley and Isabel Soto: The future of work is flexible
May 5, 2025 // At its core, the issue of independent work centers on the freedom for individuals to work as they choose, to support their families on their own terms, and to participate in the economy without being held back by outdated, stifling regulations. The Modern Worker Empowerment Act and The Modern Worker Security Act offer a commonsense alternative that safeguards this freedom. Congress must embrace policies that remove barriers to the modern labor market, not stifle the individual who wants to work. As the economy evolves, labor laws should support worker choice, economic participation, and innovation. These bills are a critical step forward and deserve broad bipartisan support.
Liya Palagashvili: The Portable Benefits Revolution: How Did We Get Here?
May 1, 2025 // Senator Bill Cassidy just put flexible benefits on the map. This is the story of how a niche policy idea climbed to the top of the Congressional agenda.
Tennessee Supports Independent Workers
April 7, 2025 // A portable benefits account is designed to empower contract and freelance workers by helping them save for key benefits such as health insurance, income replacement, retirement, and disability insurance. These accounts are owned by—or legally tied to—the worker and remain with them as they move between jobs, industries, or locations. This portability gives independent workers the flexibility and security they need to thrive. This year, Senator Bo Watson sponsored SB1377, accompanied by Representative Charlie Baum’s HB494, which allows any person or entity to contribute to a worker’s portable benefits account. The legislation includes three key protections
Commentary: Freelance Busting: The Ratio Reality
March 11, 2025 // Democrats, led by Senate and House Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, just reintroduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Named for a former head of the AFL-CIO, this bill, H.R. 20, does the same thing that California Governor Gavin Newsom claimed AB5 would do. The PRO Act aims to reclassify independent contractors as employees as a way to empower union organizers. As Jeffries put it in Congress: “When our unions are strong, the United States of America is strong.” Republicans, led by Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, put forward the Modern Worker Empowerment Act. This bill, H.R. 1319, aims to stop California’s experiment from spreading. It would protect everyone’s freedom to be our own bosses. As Kiley put it: “California’s disastrous AB5 law wreaked havoc on independent workers, stripping them of their ability to work on their own terms and forcing businesses to cut off contractor relationships. Shifting federal regulations threaten to impose similar uncertainty nationwide, putting millions of workers at risk.”
Commentary: Why does the US have it in for gig workers?
February 9, 2025 // There’s no argument that the gig economy has surged dramatically, particularly since the pandemic. More than 20m new businesses have launched since 2020, the great majority of those representing side hustlers, independent contractors and freelancers. According to data reported in Forbes, an estimated 64 million Americans, representing 38% of the US workforce, did freelance work in 2023, which is up by 4 million people over the previous year, and contributed almost $1.3tn in annual earnings to the US economy. Is the IRS that fearful over the loss of tax revenues? As a business owner, I don’t pay employer taxes when I hire freelancers. But the freelancer is responsible for paying a “self-employment” tax when they file their tax returns, so if they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, there shouldn’t be much difference. Most states have similar tax arrangements. If a taxpayer fails to report those earnings, then that’s on them. They’re breaking the law and risk penalties or even prison.
New Study: From Gig to Gone? ABC Tests and the Case of the Missing Workers
January 10, 2025 // The introduction of an ABC test caused significant declines in traditional (W-2) employment, self-employment, and overall employment. The ABC test reduced traditional (W-2) employment by 4.73% Self-employment fell by 6.43% Overall employment fell by 4.79% Occupations with high shares of independent contractors experienced the largest reductions in employment. These results suggest that contrary to the intended goal, ABC tests are not altering the composition of workers and leading to more workers becoming traditional W-2 employees, but they are reducing employment for both W-2 employees and self-employed workers.