From Forbes, Elaine Pofeldt writes about worker classification from the perspective that the American dream has always been about independence and while some employers have taken advantage of the employee/independent contractor classification situation, there are great opportunities for individuals to make contributions to the economy as solo entrepreneurs. She writes:
“We could do a lot of good for the economy by making it easier for solo entrepreneurs–whether they do refrigerator repairs, practice law, make widgets with a 3D printer or drive an Uber car–to succeed, through policies that support them more. Imagine the overall impact it would have if powerful interests, whether in the public or private sector, committed to teaching everyone now making $50,000 in a solo business how to grow it to $75,000 or $100,000–so these solopreneurs could build savings and pay for big-ticket investments like college that are now out of reach for many middle-income families. This may seem like a modest goal compared to encouraging the next “unicorn” startup but it would help a lot of Americans.
So far, I haven’t detected any interest from national-level leaders in helping solo businesses at all. The thought of more independent businesses is probably too threatening to them. But I haven’t given up hope that somewhere, someday, someone in a position of real power will recognize that the owners of one-person businesses are voters who contribute a lot to our economy. And their numbers are only going to grow….”
Read the full story at Who’s Afraid Of The Freelance Economy?.
