I happen to have co-founded a company (Wrapbook) that makes it easy to work with gig-based workers as employees. The entertainment space long ago settled this fight and classifies everyone as employees, not as contractors, even when they work a single day.
This fight has nothing to do with independence and only has to do with employers trying to save some 15% of an employee's wage in taxes & keep themselves off the hook if people get injured on the job.
The savings are real - somebody making $1000 a day - classified as an employee, costs an additional estimated $150.
You can pay short term workers as employees pretty easily (we facilitate it).
This fight has nothing to do with independence and only has to do with employers trying to save some 15% of an employee's wage in taxes & keep themselves off the hook if people get injured on the job.
The savings are real - somebody making $1000 a day - classified as an employee, costs an additional estimated $150.
You can pay short term workers as employees pretty easily (we facilitate it).