Gig Economy Prime Target for Labor Department Opinions (Corrected)

How to correctly classify workers as employees or independent contractors is a murky subject that continues to confound businesses and lawyers alike.

That’s one reason why worker classification will likely be the subject of a Labor Department opinion letter soon, attorneys and former DOL staff from prior administrations say. Employer representatives sent at least three requests to the department in recent months for it to weigh in on their clients’ questions on independent contractors, documents obtained by Bloomberg Law through a Freedom of Information Act request show.

Opinion letters help clarify the gray areas of labor law in specific circumstances. ...