Employment and Jobs

Reimagining Workplace Protections: A Policy Agenda to Meet Independent Contractors’ and Temporary Workers’ Needs

December 8, 2020  • Shelly Steward, Jenny R. Yang, Molly Weston Williamson, K. Steven Brown, Jessica Shakesprere & Hilary Greenberg

Millions of workers in nonstandard arrangements, including temporary, subcontracted, and on-call workers and independent contractors, lack access to essential workplace protections or, where protections do exist, to adequate enforcement mechanisms. Building an equitable economy requires addressing these shortcomings and reimagining our system of workplace protections. This report provides a policy framework for expanding essential protections to more workers, focusing on independent contractors’ and temporary workers’ needs.

The Urban Institute, Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, and A Better Balance are collaborating on an initiative to strengthen protections for workers in nonstandard jobs. This report is part of that ongoing collaboration.

READ THE REPORT