New Jobless Aid for Gig Workers in Limbo Without DOL Guidance (1)

Providing unemployment insurance to gig-economy workers and other self-employed individuals who wouldn’t previously qualify is a critical feature of the federal coronavirus-response package, but the degree to which it will spare independent contractors from economic ruin depends on the Labor Department’s efforts to fill in large gaps in the law.

The $2 trillion CARES Act (Public Law 116-136), enacted March 27, launched the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program to aid this broad new class of workers who who don’t fit neatly into the traditional category of unemployed worker. Congress gave DOL the responsibility to clarify eligibility requirements for these ...