What ’s Next for America’s Independent Workers?

Scott LincicomeThe popular YouTube channel “CNBC Make It” recentlyprofiled truck driver Clarissa Rankin, who happily works as an independent “owner‐​operator” trucker (and budding social media star) and makes good money in the process. Hers is an entertaining and heartening story of American perseverance and success, and the short video (posted below) has already racked up more than 500,000 views and thousands of supportive comme nts.If various state and federal policymakers havetheir way, however, Ms. Rankin ’s business model might be soon regulated out of existence — whether she likes it or not.Rankin, like every other owner ‐​operator truck driver in America, is an independent worker – someone who takes on projects or jobs from different clients, relatively free from the clients’ control. As detailed in mychapter on Independent Contracting and Gig Work in the new Cato book,Empowering the New American Worker, independent work encompasses everything from trucking to rideshare driving to freelance writing to software and app development. Some workers work independently full ‐​time, but most (surveys say anywhere from two‐​thirds to 80 percent) do it as a part‐​time “side hustle.” Independent work has also become increasingly popular: according to consulting firmMBO Partners, more than 51 million Americans worked independently at some point in 2021, up from just 38 million in 2020.Contrary to what you may have heard, most Americans are ...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs