There’s an old saying that out of crisis comes opportunity – and the gig economy may be on the verge of living that adage. Thanks to the two trillion-dollar Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act signed into law last week, the entire industry may be forever altered because independent contractors will temporarily be able to recover unemployment benefits. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program expands coverage under the state-by-state unemployment compensation system to individuals “not eligible for regular compensation or extended benefits under state or federal law or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation,” which includes, but is not limited to, certain gig economy workers. Who is now eligible, and what will this mean for the gig economy?
