Flexible Work Solutions

While there are substantial benefits derived by an employer when workers are independent contractors instead of employees, there are also substantial risks. And to make it more difficult, there is no easy way to determine which classification is the correct one.

A primary refrain of the jobless recovery is that a growing skills mismatch is largely to blame, that many of the unemployed simply aren’t qualified to fill the jobs that are out there—like trying to squeeze square workers into round openings. It’s an argument both sides of the political spectrum make. The Right uses it as an excuse to oppose more fiscal stimulus aimed at job creation, while the Left uses it to propose further funding to goose demand and retrain the unemployed.

Unlike other positions facing a talent shortage, skilled trades work is geographically fixed and cannot be relocated or offshored, leaving employers with a critical talent issue that will only get worse as more experienced workers retire without adequate replacements.