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There’s growing interest in creating an unemployment benefits program for gig workers, but so far lawmakers, advocates and other stakeholders are coming up with more questions than answers.

There are two faces of the gig economy. Among high-earning independents, satisfaction is up.

SpendMatters covers the launch of MBO Connect 2.0

Recently, I met with Gene Zaino, president and CEO of MBO Partners, which provides back-office support to independent workers, and his team at his office in Herndon, Va., to discuss how this could be achieved.

Why is that a problem? In a word, productivity. A recent report by MBO Partners says that independent workers contribute just 7% of the nation’s GDP. In other words, self-employed workers are less than half as productive as their counterparts with full-time jobs. And that’s a real problem.

MBO Partners, a company that provides enterprise software to the firms that employ independent workers, estimated that there were nearly 40 million independent workers over the age of 20 in 2015.

Of the 16.9 million self-employed workers MBO Partners recently identified as actively working full time in the U.S., 63% want to stay independent, compared with the 22% who want to build a bigger business from their solo efforts. At the same time, only 3% call ourselves entrepreneurs.

Two statistics tell the story: In the U.S., there are currently nearly 40 million self-employed workers age 21 and over, according to the 2016 State of Independence report by MBO Partners. By 2021, the research firm predicts that just under half of the U.S. population (48%) will be independent or have tried independent work in…

“Millennials are passionate about the benefits of independent work, like the ability to support their passions, control their own careers, and have a flexible schedule,” says Gene Zaino, CEO of MBO Partners, a provider of business and technology solutions for independent workers. “Self-employment is an ideal choice for younger workers who are willing to demonstrate…

Mark Stringer of MBO Partners UK shares his insights regarding the Brexit decision’s impact on independent contractors (and independent contractor clients) in the UK.