News & Analysis as of

Independent Contractors Gig Economy

Independent contractors are individuals or entities that perform work for other individuals or entities, but are not employees of those individuals or entities. Whether a worker is an employee or an independent... more +
Independent contractors are individuals or entities that perform work for other individuals or entities, but are not employees of those individuals or entities. Whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor is not always an easy determination. However, due to differences in tax and liability treatment, misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can have serious consequences. Autonomy is the defining feature of independent contractor arrangements. Independent contractors control the manner and method of how work is performed while payers control the desired result. Control over schedule and number of hours worked, ownership of equipment or tools, permanency of relationship, and acceptance of jobs from multiple entities are all possible factors in determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor.   less -
Troutman Pepper Locke

Health Care Industry Under Attack for Independent Contractor Misclassification: July 2025 IC Legal News Update

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Unless you were in the health care industry, July 2025 was a relatively slow month for judicial developments in the law of independent contractor (IC) misclassification and compliance. Only two significant IC cases came to...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Comments Submitted to New Jersey’s Proposed Regulation Expanding “ABC Test for Independent Contractor Status”

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The following comments were submitted by Richard J. Reibstein, the publisher of this legal blog, critiquing the proposed regulation of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Industry (the Department) regarding the so-called...more

Venable LLP

A Glimmer of Hope for Employers Who Rely on Gig Workers: The DOL Will Not Enforce the 2024 Independent Contractor Rule

Venable LLP on

Positive news for employers: the Department of Labor (DOL) announced it will no longer enforce the 2024 Biden-era independent contractor final rule that aimed to reclassify gig workers as employees rather than independent...more

Fisher Phillips

Alabama Launches First-in-the-Nation Tax-Friendly Portable Benefits for Independent Contractors and Gig Workers

Fisher Phillips on

Alabama will soon become the first state in the country to offer a tax-advantaged way for businesses to contribute to benefits for independent contractors as a form of compensation without altering their IC status. Under a...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Artificial Intelligence Industry Targeted for Independent Contractor Misclassification Lawsuits: May 2025 IC Legal News Update

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Five months ago, we reported about a class action lawsuit against an artificial intelligence (AI) company that engages workers to perform data labeling and content creation and classifies them as independent contractors (ICs)...more

Littler

DOL Reinstates Virtual Marketplace Platform Opinion Letter Signaling Return to Relaxed Independent Contractor Test and Acceptance...

Littler on

In recent months, the Department of Labor (DOL) has seen an overhaul of its agency leadership. First, President Trump appointed Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling, and more recently,...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

New Jersey Eyes Regulatory Changes to Strengthen its Statutory ABC Test and Prevent Employee Misclassification

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

On April 3, 2025, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (“DOL”) filed proposed new rules codifying its interpretation of the statutory ABC test to determine whether an individual is considered an...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Republican-Backed Congressional Proposal in Congress Seeks to Allow Companies to Offer Benefits to Independent Contractors: April...

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Last month, the most significant legal development in the area of independent contractor (IC) compliance and misclassification was on Capitol Hill. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a Senate Republican who chairs the Senate Health,...more

FordHarrison

U.S. Department of Labor Announces It Will No Longer Enforce 2024 Independent Contractor Rule

FordHarrison on

On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Field Assistance Bulletin confirming that it will no longer enforce a 2024 Biden-era independent contractor rule. The 2024 rule defined “independent contractor”...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Department of Labor Plans to Rescind Biden’s Gig Worker Rule Making It Easier for Companies to Use Independent Contractors

On May 1, 2025, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division announced that it will no longer enforce a Biden-era labor rule that aimed to reclassify gig workers as employees rather than independent contractors....more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Trump Administration Reissues 2019 Opinion Letter on Independent Contractors and Virtual Marketplace Companies

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The U.S. Department of Labor re-issued an Opinion Letter on the issue of independent contractor (IC) status of an on-demand virtual marketplace company (VMC) that refers end-market consumers to service providers who offer...more

Fisher Phillips

DOL Easing Up on Independent Contractor Misclassification Enforcement: 3 Key Points on This Big Win for Businesses

Fisher Phillips on

Businesses that rely on freelancers or the “gig economy” have cause for optimism now that the Department of Labor just announced it will no longer enforce a Biden-era final rule that made it harder to classify workers as...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Garden State May Soon Become Even Less Hospitable to Independent Contractors ‎Than the Golden State

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Industry (the Department) announced on April 28, 2025, that it was filing a notice of a proposed regulation addressing the test for independent contractor (IC) status under New Jersey...more

Hanson Bridgett

Is the Unionization of Uber and Lyft Drivers On California’s Horizon?

Hanson Bridgett on

On April 10, 2025, California legislators introduced Assembly Bill 1340, also known as the Transportation Network Company Drivers Labor Relations Act, which would afford drivers of app-based transportation companies such as...more

Fisher Phillips

New EU Platform Work Directive Impacts Freelancers and Gig Economy: Here’s What Businesses Need to Know

Fisher Phillips on

The European Union took a big step last year towards regulating digital labor platforms – and member states will need to adopt the new directive before the end of 2026. The directive seeks to curb worker misclassification,...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

The Legal Landscape of Independent Contractor Misclassification May Be About to Change: March 2025 IC Legal News Update

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The most significant development last month in the law of independent contractors was not one of the four cases we summarize below but rather a bill passed by the New York Senate. ...more

Morgan Lewis

Expansion of the UK Illegal Working Regime: New Requirements for Right to Work Checks

Morgan Lewis on

The UK government has announced plans to implement significant changes to the illegal working regime that would extend the requirement for right to work checks to businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hour workers. This move...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Not Fooling Around: Critical New York State Legislative Updates for Employers as April Begins

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

During the first quarter of 2025, the New York State legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul have been actively advancing several initiatives that – if passed and signed – will require New York employers to adapt their policies...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

From the Pickup Line to the Picket Line: What Employers Need to Know About the Gig Economy Labor Movement

Foley & Lardner LLP on

The gig economy has emerged as a defining aspect of the modern workforce, transforming how people work, earn, and engage with employers. Unlike traditional full-time jobs, gig workers benefit from significant flexibility....more

Littler

Nebraska Enacts Marketplace Network Platform Statute

Littler on

On March 11, 2025, Nebraska passed a marketplace network platform statute that deems workers who use a marketplace network platform independent contractors under the state unemployment statute if certain conditions are met....more

BCLP

HK Court Rules That Gig Delivery Driver Was Not an Employee

BCLP on

With the continued prevalence of the “gig economy”, a common question that arises is whether “gig workers” are employees or independent contractors of the digital platform. ...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Alabama Eyes Portable Benefits for Freelancers and Gig Workers

Certain states have considered enacting legislation facilitating the creation of portable benefit accounts for independent contractors, including gig economy workers. These accounts attach to the individual worker rather than...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Federal Government’s Ping Pong Match on Independent Contractor Rule Is Distraction From Enhancing IC Compliance: January 2025 IC...

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Few federal regulations over the past five years have produced more needless concern by stakeholders than the independent contractor rules under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) issued by the different...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Unpacking the Biden Administration’s Last-Minute Antitrust Worker Protections

In the final week of the Biden administration, the antitrust enforcement agencies – the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) – released two policies potentially impacting labor markets. The...more

Ius Laboris

New Labour Reform in Mexico: A Win for Digital Platform Workers

Ius Laboris on

On 24 December 2024, a reform to Mexico’s Federal Labour Law was published that regulates work for digital platforms....more

1,244 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 50

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide