Gig Economy

As work continues to change and more people work outside of traditional employer-employee relationships, the viability and success of the Affordable Care Act becomes increasingly important.

A new report from the GAO finds that our workforce development system often fails to meet the needs of independent workers or help disrupted workers connect to independent work opportunities. Policymakers should consider new proposals to support nontraditional forms of work.

According to the 2017 Freelancing in America (FIA) report, released Tuesday by The Freelancers Union and Upwork, there are currently 57.3 million independent workers in America, equating to 36 percent of the employed workforce.

We’re excited to announce a collaboration with WeWork on a national town hall series on the future of work and research on how these changes are impacting freelancers, entrepreneurs and workers.

Sen. Thune’s NEW GIG Act of 2017 should spark a conversation about how to ease the burden of tax filing for independent workers.

To reduce debt and increase educational access, some educational institutions have begun testing Income Share Agreements (ISAs). As ISAs grow in popularity, policymakers should explore the opportunities and risks that these contracts represent, and debate a regulatory framework that ensures students are protected.

The grant will allow the National Domestic Workers Alliance’s to develop tools that improve workers’ lives.

To address the challenges of rising independent work, stagnant wages, modest productivity increases, skill mismatches, and the growing impact of automation, Theresa May appointed former Tony Blair policy chief Matthew Taylor to lead a review of the changing nature of work in the UK. Many of the report’s conclusions and recommendations echo those discussed in the Future of Work Initiative’s Toward a New Capitalism and the Portable Benefits Resource Guide reports.

Earlier this month, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a bipartisan plan to guarantee family and medical leave to workers in the state. Importantly, this plan includes a provision that allows self-employed workers to buy into the system. As our national conversation on family and medical leave heats up, policymakers should learn from state experiences and ensure that these programs include independent workers.

In a world where workers are receiving less training, and where the next wave of automation threatens massive job disruptions, the need to help workers access lifelong learning opportunities is critical. Options like Lifelong Learning Accounts could help workers better manage their economic future by incentivizing workers, businesses, and government to co-invest in the development of worker skills over the course of their careers.