independent contractor

[in-di-pen-duhnt kon-trak-ter]

noun

1. a self-employed skilled worker hired to do a piece of work under a contract that allows them to control how the work is carried out.

   Many of us work part-time or, like me, are independent contractors doing freelance work for various companies and individuals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of independent contractor¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Having successfully denied deliverers employee-level benefits in California by promoting a 2020 “independent contractor” ballot initiative, these gig apps have been replicating the approach elsewhere, to much less success.

Read more on Slate

In a statement, a spokesperson with Fox News said, “It’s clear ProPublica is trying to insert FOX News into this story despite acknowledging the network having no part in any unmasking or identification of the independent contractor.”

Read more on Salon

Blumenthal had been the state’s attorney general for years, and during the Senate race his office launched an investigation of WWE’s abuse of independent contractor categories, a tactic that both blocks full benefits for employees and robs government coffers at all levels of payroll taxes.

Read more on Salon

If he’s done anything about independent contractor abuse while serving in the Senate, I don’t know about it.

Read more on Salon

The switch in labor law came back in 2019, when a sweeping law governing worker classification rules across various industries called Assembly Bill 5 was approved — a law that codified a California Supreme Court decision creating a stricter test to judge whether a worker should be considered an employee rather than an independent contractor.

Read more on Los Angeles Times