Politicians Take Notice of the Gig Economy

Politicians are working with start-ups to understand the so-called “gig economy.” It’s driving conversations about worker protections, lack of health care, income inequality, etc.

David Kochel, the chief strategist for Mr. Bush, said the candidate was reaching out to start-ups because “the gig economy is transforming the way we think of work.”

Many policy makers are only now catching up to the implications of the trend. Even though many start-ups that have pioneered more flexible work arrangements began operating in 2009 and 2010, lawmakers did not start to pay attention to them until Uber ran into legal trouble over whether its drivers should be defined as employees […]