Posted by: John S Kiernan

Labor Day in the 21st century is all about beaches, BBQs, ballgames and buying things. This year, for example, 25% of Americans plan to get out of town for Labor Day weekend. Nearly 128.5 million will enjoy a cookout. Thousands will pack college football stadiums. And the average Labor Day weekend shopper will spend $58 in the process, according to WalletHub’s survey.

But it hasn’t always been that way. Labor Day’s roots can be traced back to the streets of 1880s New York City, where rival union leaders joined forces to protest the unfair labor practices that plagued industry at the time. Other areas soon joined the fight, drawn by high-profile incidents such as the deaths of 30 workers at the hands of federal officials during the infamous Pullman Strike. As a result, 30 states actually celebrated Labor Day before it became a federal holiday in 1894.

This is not meant to take the wind from your sails as you enjoy one last dip in the summer sun, but rather to help you cherish Labor Day weekend even more. Its place on the calendar is uniquely American – most other countries celebrate labor in May. And there’s ample reason for celebration, considering that the industrial fatality rate has fallen by roughly 97% since the early 1900s, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So with that in mind, WalletHub gathered all the Labor Day fun facts we could find to create this infographic, which should both entertain and educate you. You can also check out the Ask the Experts section that follows for a panel discussion on the many facets of Labor Day.

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Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/2vAh0BB; <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/24040/2016-labor-day-by-the-numbers-fix4.jpg" width="" height="" alt="2016-Labor-Day-By-The-Numbers-fix4" /> </a> <div style="width:px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2wZXHVF; Ask The Experts: A Closer Look At Labor

To gain a better understanding of the biggest issues facing workers today and how they’re likely to evolve in the near future, we posed the following questions to a panel of leading labor experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.

1. What are the biggest threats facing working people today?
2. How is the “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector?
3. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?
4. How likely is it that Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave?
5. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend?

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• Petra E. Todd Alfred L. Cass Term Professor of Economics and Research Associate of the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania
• Linda Wilcox Young Chair and Professor of Economics at Southern Oregon University
• Stuart Eimer Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Widener University
• William M. Boal Professor of Economics in the College of Business & Public Administration at Drake University
• Douglas Webber Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics, and Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor at Temple University
• Gary Wolfram
• Carolyn Middleton Plump Assistant Professor of Business Law in the School of Business at La Salle University
• Michael Wenz Associate Professor and Coordinator in the Department of Economics at Northeastern Illinois University
• Stacey Jones Senior Instructor in the Department of Economics at Seattle University
• Dave Surdam David. W. Wilson Business Ethics Fellow and Professor of Economics at the University of Northern Iowa

Petra E. Todd Alfred L. Cass Term Professor of Economics and Research Associate of the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania What are the biggest threats facing working people today? Many of the jobs available offer relatively low wages, and no or few employer-provided benefits. Companies hire workers for just under full-time work, often to avoid having to offer them a benefits package. In order to increase their hours, workers might have to hold two or three temporary jobs. This is particularly true for workers who do not have a college degree, who face very tough job markets. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? In a “Gig Economy,” workers tend to be employed in temporary, flexible jobs and are often hired as independent contractors or for freelance work. This type of hiring pattern implies less stable income for workers, as they usually face a greater risk of variation in hours and of losing their job. Also, workers hired this way often have no health insurance or retirement plans through the employer. They are also not covered by unemployment insurance. There are also tax implications, as workers have to pay their own social security tax. Workers may be hired as independent contractors even though they work at the firm for many years, and in the past, they would have been considered regular employees. It might be possible to introduce legislation to restrict the length of time that a worker can be hired as an independent contractor. Many European countries have regulations that allow a firm to hire a worker on a temporary basis for up to some time period (like three years), after which the employee has to either be let go, or else hired as a regular worker. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? American workers need to acquire skills to succeed in today’s economy. Given intense competition from other countries in sectors such as manufacturing, there are few good job options available to unskilled workers. I think governments should offer high-quality pre-school, primary and secondary education, to better prepare people from all backgrounds for the labor force and for post-secondary schooling. Unfortunately, many people are graduating from high school without a basic skill set. In addition, there should be options for low-cost post-secondary education, for example in community colleges. These options should be widely available and accessible. It should be easy and relatively low-cost for students to acquire skills that are relevant for the labor market, so that they can be productive workers. Also, with the expansion in temporary and part-time work, many people are not covered by employer-provided health insurance or retirement plans. For this reason, I think the government needs to offer some public health insurance plan that is not tied to employment. Most European, Latin American and South American countries offer a public health insurance option to everyone that is paid for out of taxes. Obamacare is a step in the direction of having a government insurance option, although the prices for the Obama health care plans increased a lot since their introduction, and there are probably much more cost-effective ways to design a public insurance option. Signing up for the Obama health care plans is also not that easy. I am concerned that many of the more vulnerable populations, such as the homeless or drug addicted, are still left without health care coverage. Lastly, the U.S. has a very large prison population compared to most countries. I think there should be better opportunities for education, training and working while in prison. With more opportunities for rehabilitation, there would be a greater chance that people could transition to becoming productive workers after leaving the prison system. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? The Trump administration has been outspoken about being pro-business. It seems unlikely that there will be a strong push for increases in the minimum wage, or for any type of regulation that could be perceived to not be in the interest of business. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? Drive safely. I was heading to the beach for Memorial Day weekend last year and I was hit from behind by another car traveling at high speed, which destroyed my car and sent me to the hospital. I spent the last year recovering from whiplash. So please be careful when driving in heavy traffic. Linda Wilcox Young Chair and Professor of Economics at Southern Oregon University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? The most obvious threat is that we have federal and state lawmakers who seem intent on rolling back protections that working people have fought hard to win. Whether it is Trump's rollback of the Obama administration's raising of the salary for exempt workers, to overtime protections of the FLSA, or state government moves to strip public sector workers of collective bargaining rights, working people can no longer look to the government to protect their basic rights. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? While there are many appealing aspects of the “Gig Economy,” there also seems to be the potential for worker exploitation. When services are provided outside the formal structure of the employee/employer relationship, competition among those providing the services is increased, and workers can easily find their wages/benefits undercut. It is just the latest manifestation of how the earlier "independent contractor" phenomenon put pressure on workers' progress to improve their wages and benefits through collective bargaining. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? Clearly, public policy could enhance the quality of life for American workers by guaranteeing the same types of protections that are offered by every other advanced industrialized country -- paid family leave, paid sick leave, paid vacations, public daycare/preschool, etc. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? Highly unlikely at this point. Maybe after the 2018 elections, though House seats have been so severely gerrymandered that it will take a miracle to elect worker-friendly representatives in many states. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? Remember that Labor Day in the U.S. is just a fun excuse to party. Every other country in the world celebrates workers on May 1, with marches in the streets and a re-commitment to fight for workers' rights. Stuart Eimer Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Widener University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? Despite all of the talk of the “Gig Economy,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most new jobs will be added to pretty traditional occupations, in which people go to work the way they always have. The top five occupations are personal care aide, registered nurses, home health aides, fast food and retail sales. One thing you’ll notice about these occupations is that aside from registered nurses, they are all low-paying jobs. In my mind, this is the biggest threat that working people face. The economy is creating jobs that our society needs, but the wages in these occupations are low, and the result is that many households struggle to make ends meet. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? I think it’s important to note that while it’s growing, the “Gig Economy” is still a small part of the overall economy, with about 15% of the workforce falling into this category. The vast majority of workers still wake up every day and go to workplaces that don’t look that different than they did 10 years ago. That said, the “Gig Economy” poses serious challenges to our society, given the way it changes the employment relationship, turning workers into independent contractors who are treated differently by the law, be it with regard to employer social security contributions, or the right to organize unions. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? Given the growth in low-wage occupations and the increase in gig workers who are detached from traditional employment, I expect to see a push for more public policies at the city, state and federal level that aim to improve the quality of life of American workers. We’re already seeing this in cities where unions and community groups have organized campaigns that have led to legislatively mandated sick days, paid family leave and higher minimum wages, to name but a few examples. These policies are interesting, since they impact the lives of all workers, while also leveling the playing field between firms, since no one firm has to face higher costs or workplace rules alone. I expect that we’ll see more of this in the form of predictable scheduling, and other issues in the future. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I don’t expect the current congress to pass new supports for workers, such as a raise in the minimum wage or paid family leave. House Speaker Ryan has been pretty clear in stating his belief that such issues as family leave are better left to firms and the market. I think it’s the recognition that federal action is not likely to happen too soon that has led to efforts to implement policies at the city and state levels. In some ways, it reminds me of the period before the New Deal, when cities and states were “laboratories for democracy.” It will be interesting to see whether local and state policies are ultimately adopted at the federal level. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? People should take a moment to reflect on the fact that things we take for granted, like weekends in general, and Labor Day in particular, did not just magically appear. They resulted from decades of organizing and protests by ordinary people, who demanded public policies like the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), or the New Deal law, which brought us the 40-hour workweek and the weekend. It’s astonishing to think that the push for the 8-hour day started in 1881, and the FLSA was passed in 1938. It took almost 60 years, but in the end, collective action resulted in public policy that forever changed our nation. Sometimes we suffer from a sort of historical amnesia, and forget the legacy of organizing an action that shaped our contemporary world. William M. Boal Professor of Economics in the College of Business & Public Administration at Drake University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? Globalization and information technology both create opportunities and threaten existing jobs. If your job can be done more cheaply by foreigners or by computers, you are in a precarious position. On the other hand, if you can produce something that foreigners want, or you can figure out how to be more productive using computers, you are in a good place. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? The “Gig Economy” is what we used to call “freelance work.” It’s not for everyone, but it probably does not need new government regulation. However, “Gig Economy” workers do need easy access to the benefits that the rest of us permanent employees take for granted -- something to consider when and if the Affordable Care Act is revised. For anyone thinking of joining the “Gig Economy,” I recommend the Bureaus of Labor Statistics “Career Outlook” page on the topic. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers?

• Automatic enrolment in retirement plans (401k and the like);

• Paid family leave;

• Crackdown on unfair labor practices under the National Labor Relations Act.

How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I am not expecting much from the current Congress. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? I avoid travel on major holidays, due to crowds and high prices. But the weather is usually great on Labor Day, so I try to get outside. Douglas Webber Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Economics, and Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor at Temple University How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? The type of work being performed by "Gig Economy" workers was practically inconceivable at the time that most current labor regulations were written. These jobs have characteristics of both types of employment classifications: employer/employee, and independent contractor. Since they don't fit neatly into one category of employment regulations, some workers are forced to go without important protections. Creating a new regulatory category for "Gig Economy" workers which recognizes that these workers may not fit the mold of a typical employer/employee relationship, but are also not independent contractors, will provide workers with necessary protections, while continuing to allow for growth and innovation. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? Given the current political mood, I am highly doubtful that we will see any meaningful new support for workers at the federal level. I would love to be wrong on this, but I think state-level reforms are the only hope for improvement over the next few years. Gary Wolfram What are the biggest threats facing working people today? I would say the biggest threat facing working people is a mismatch of job skills and job opportunities. The national unemployment rate is close to full employment, if not at full employment -- 4.3% in July -- and there are many industries where there is a shortage of labor. However, for a 56-year-old manufacturing worker who has just lost his job to transfer to a welding job or a job in the health industry may be very difficult. An improvement in skill-training to move people through the labor market is needed. Improvements in our educational system, including high school and junior college skilled trades programs, would help as well. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? It is probably true that job growth will be in the information and service sector -- certainly there will be a continued decline in manufacturing employment. “Gig Economy” workers are traditional employees, in the sense that they are willing to work for a given wage package, and employers are willing to hire them at that wage package. Less labor regulations rather than more will assist in providing more job opportunities for workers. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? It is not the role of government to improve the quality of life for people, other than through providing protection of property rights and rule of law leading to a market-based economy. One need only look at the quality of life in countries in the top 25% of the Fraser Index of Economic Freedom, and compare it to countries in the bottom 25%. The per capita income of the bottom 10% of the income distribution is 10 times higher in countries with more economic freedom. Firms will search for ways to improve the quality of life for their employees in order to maintain a work force. We see this happening in companies such as Google and Quicken Loans. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I think it is not likely that the current Congress will increase the Federal minimum wage or mandatory family medical leave, and that is good for workers, especially low-income ones. A firm cannot stay in business paying someone $10 per hour if that person can only produce $8 per hour worth of product. So, increasing the minimum wage would result in the low-skill workers being laid off, firms substituting machines for labor, and eliminating the entry level jobs that are the avenue for the poor and unskilled to get job experience and improve their productivity and wages. Mandatory paid leave will result in lower wages to offset the added labor costs and harm the low-skill workers. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? Try to plan a family get-together. A camping trip or gong to a festive event with kids and grandkids will create memories for all. Carolyn Middleton Plump Assistant Professor of Business Law in the School of Business at La Salle University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? Wage stagnation is the biggest threat facing working people today. There has been near stagnation of hourly wage growth for most workers since the 1970s. The slow growth in wages is not due to coincidental economic factors, but is the result of intentional policy choices. These choices have caused rampant income inequality that has profound effects on the affordability and quality of life for the vast majority of Americans. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? The “Gig Economy” is changing the traditional definitions of “employee” and “independent contractors.” Many 21st century workers do not fit neatly into such predetermined categories. As a result, employers and courts do not know how to treat them under laws set up during drastically different business environments. New regulations are needed to take this growing sector into account. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? Most workers rely on their paychecks and employer-provided benefits to make ends meet. The slow growth in living standards, coupled with the dual requirements of taking care of children and aging parents has placed considerable strain on American families. Businesses could help alleviate some of the financial and time constraints of this pressure by offering paid vacation, paid sick leave, and paid Family and Medical Leave (currently the FMLA provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave for various reasons including birth or adoption of a child). It is tragic that the United States is one of only four countries -- the others being Suriname, Lesotho, and Papua New Guinea -- without a federal law that requires business to provide paid parental leave following birth or adoption. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? Given the level of animosity in politics today, I am not optimistic that politicians will be able to find common ground to pass laws with substantial changes to wages or employee benefits. I am hopeful, however, that by continuing a productive dialogue on these issues, we can move them from abstract theories and sound bites to concrete legislation that can actually improve the lives of the Americans Congress members were elected to support. Michael Wenz Associate Professor and Coordinator in the Department of Economics at Northeastern Illinois University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? One big threat seems to be that it's getting harder and harder to successfully change jobs mid-career or later. There are a lot of reasons for this, but here are two. Two-income households make it harder to move from one city to another in search of opportunity, and second, technological change is so rapid it can render a worker's skills obsolete. Finding a new job can suddenly require taking a pay cut. You can see this in how long it's taken the labor market to absorb all the job losses from the great recession. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I'm worried that a federal movement to raise the minimum wage too high, too quickly will backfire on workers. The "Fight for $15" may make for good policy in some of the high-flying coastal cities like Seattle, but even in Seattle, the early returns on a $13 minimum wage are not encouraging. Evidence indicates that total compensation for workers at or near the minimum wage seems to be falling as hours are reduced. I note that this is an early result, but I'd also note that Seattle is a high-growth, high-wage city, that should be a relatively good candidate to absorb a high minimum wage. A federal minimum wage would cover places not just like Seattle, but also like West Virginia, where the median hourly wage is just $14.79. If we do get higher minimum wages, then, I think it's quite possible we'll see an increase in activity in the “Gig Economy,” as workers look to supplement their income by driving for Uber or Lyft, or for example in housecleaning or handyman services, where people work not as employees, but independent contractors. This would look a lot more like Southern European labor markets, with relatively high-wage insiders and a large informal sector. There will always be pressure on the margins of the formal sector and the "gig" sector to increase regulation. We see this not only now with Lyft and Airbnb, but throughout history as well, with for example chiropractors, interior designers and hair braiders. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? One thing I'd like to see would be an increase in reciprocal licensing across states, where, for example, passing the bar exam or receiving a Preschool Teacher certification in one state means you can practice law or teach toddlers in another state. I'd also like to see an expansion of the ban on non-compete agreements. This got some traction at the end of Barack Obama's second term, but doesn't seem to be a priority right now. These agreements disproportionately benefit firms and can bind workers, especially younger workers, to sub-optimal situations. Both of these things would increase the bargaining strength of workers and increase job mobility and labor market dynamism. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I think it's unlikely congress will pass anything meaningful these days. If anything, we may see some narrowly targeted industrial support programs to favored industries under the auspices of job-creation. For example, I don't think it's coincidence that Foxconn chose to locate its new plant in Speaker Paul Ryan's neighborhood, but I think partisan politics will prevent any meaningful regulation. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? Have fun, stay safe, and talk to people you wouldn't ordinarily talk to in places you don't often visit. Stacey Jones Senior Instructor in the Department of Economics at Seattle University What are the biggest threats facing working people today? I see three major threats. First, risk-shifting. Over the past few decades, corporations have increasingly been able to shift risk from the employer to the employee, using tactics such as contract labor and the privatization of pensions. Even in my non-profit industry, higher education, universities have avoided risk by increasing the share of adjunct faculty. The second threat is inequality. Given the growing gap between the top 10 percent of employees and the other 90 percent, there is enormous pressure on working people to climb the ladder and make it into that top 10 percent. For those at the lower end of the income spectrum, whose incomes have stagnated, it is increasingly difficult to pay for fundamentals elements of the American dream, such as education and health care. Finally, the third threat is the generally low quality of our K-12 education system. Of course, there are fine schools and fine teachers out there, but many students coming out of our K-12 system will find it hard to find good jobs, given technological change and globalization. We should be graduating bilingual, quantitatively-literate, and technologically-competent kids from every high school. How is the new “Gig Economy” changing the nature of work? Should the “Gig Economy” workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? The “Gig Economy” is one manifestation of the risk-shifting I’ve mentioned above. A stronger safety net, including health care and retirement benefits that are not linked to employment, would be one way to support workers in this growing sector. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? The answer to this question follows from the above. First, strengthen the safety net, through better health care, housing, and retirement policies. These sorts of policies can help wage workers, but also support entrepreneurship, by allowing innovators to leave the comfort of large corporations and go off on their own, with the support of health care, retirement, and other benefits. Second, increase the quality of K-12 education and the accessibility of higher education. The price of college education has risen dramatically relative to middle class incomes -- families should not be forced to take out a second mortgage to send a child to college. Finally, these policies could be paid for by increasing the progressivity of the tax system. The tax system has three principle features that are very popular, but that disproportionately benefit higher income people. These are the mortgage interest deduction, the exclusion of employer’s health premiums from taxation, and the reduced rate paid on capital gains. The next tax reform could increase the progressivity of federal income taxes without changing rates, by removing these hidden subsidies for the wealthy. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? I think it is unlikely that our current Congress will pass theses supports, but the pendulum may swing in the next election. What tips do you have for people that are planning a getaway for the Labor Day weekend? Plan your getaway early. From personal experience, open campgrounds can be hard to find, and it is no fun to return home at 10:00 p.m. with your tent still folded up. Planning early also gives you better fares, plane seats, and so on. If you can, adjust your getaway so that you can miss the big crowds -- maybe Thursday to Sunday or Saturday to Monday, rather than Friday to Monday. I’m afraid we’ll be joining the crowds and travelling on Labor Day -- hard to avoid, as we’re dropping my son off at college on Sunday, and my daughter starts school on Tuesday. We’ll travel Saturday and return Monday. Canada celebrates Labor Day on the same day as we do in the U.S., so don’t think you’ll miss the holiday crowds by heading north. Or embrace the crowds -- one of the glorious sights of summer is the ocean of people at the Minnesota State Fair -- I’m not a crowd-lover, but sometimes it’s fun just to dive into the whole crowded, hot, humid sticky mess and have a corn dog. Dave Surdam David. W. Wilson Business Ethics Fellow and Professor of Economics at the University of Northern Iowa What are the biggest threats facing working people today? An obvious suggestion would be robots replacing workers, although some economists argue that increased mechanization/robotization create other jobs, resulting in minimal net losses, if any. On the other hand, I've seen some commentators point to accountants and lawyers as potential "victims" of robots, since robots are adept at handling routine transactions (such as ledger entries, in bookkeeping/accounting, and drawing up routine documents for the law). If this prediction is true, then you will have an articulate group of professional bemoaning the loss of their jobs. Previously, mechanization replaced unskilled, semi-skilled, and sometimes skilled blue-collar workers. There will be likely ramifications of such a trend; professionals will not quietly acquiesce in losing their careers. How is the new "Gig Economy" changing the nature of work? Should the "Gig Economy" workers be treated like traditional employees or do we need new labor regulations for this growing sector? "Gig Economy" workers may not get the advantage of relatively cheap group health insurance, nor are they enrolled in defined contribution retirement plans. The latter sometime has an "involuntary," forced savings aspect that help people prepare for retirement (company contributions and mandatory employee contributions). Health insurance provided through employers have two big advantages: group policy rates and favorable tax treatment. Then again, if many of the "Gig Economy" workers are young, their need for health insurance is less than for older workers. Whether legislators and bureaucrats can divine the direction of the "Gig Economy" is a key question, as to whether special labor regulations will be useful or not. What policies should governments and firms adopt to improve the quality of life of American workers? The government might raise the Earned Income Tax Credit. This policy is rarely discussed, but a few decades back, it had bi-partisan support. How likely is it that the Congress will pass new supports for workers, including an increase in the Federal minimum wage or mandatory paid family medical leave? Presumably the current administration and Congress are unlikely to do much on the minimum wage or paid family medical leave. Evidence suggests that Seattle's new minimum wage is hurting workers' overall paychecks. Apparently, employers there are reducing hours (but not necessarily the number of workers). The Republicans may be content with letting Democrat-controlled cities jack up the minimum wage, confident that such will boomerang against low-wage workers.

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