From Fast Company, Sarah Kessler discusses what candidates are saying — or not saying– about the gig economy. She writes:
None of the presidential candidates, however, has actually addressed those hard questions that Clinton mentioned [workplace protections and what a good job will look like in the future].
In recent history, most social safety nets—like retirement savings, disability insurance, unemployment benefits—have been tied to traditional jobs. As fewer people work traditional jobs, fewer people will have access to these safety nets. Proposed solutions to this problem include creating a third type of worker classification between independent contractor and employee that allows for both flexibility and worker protections; a system of portable benefits that employers could pay into based on the number of hours a freelancer works; and clarifying policy to force more workers into a traditional employment definition. Freelancers in the Freelancers Union-Upwork study, meanwhile, said their top concerns were the cost of health care, unpredictable income, saving for retirement, and high taxation rates.
“It is really striking that these candidates are willing to leave this on the table when they face razor-slim majorities,” Horowitz says. “It’s like the elected officials are just not realizing what is bubbling up across the country.”
Read the full story at Why Presidential Candidates Are Starting To Pay Attention To The Gig Economy
