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>> "Full-time employees of large corporations and government agencies can get through economic downturns with relatively little impact on their paycheck as long

>> "Full-time employees of large corporations and government agencies can get through economic downturns with relatively little impact on their paycheck as long as they manage to stay employed. Even if they are laid off, they can often rely on unemployment benefits for a while. But if you're a freelancer and the projects suddenly stop coming, what do you do? Not many countries have the equivalent of unemployment insurance for freelancers, and no amount of unionization will help you survive for long in a world without projects." Not sure what country you're speaking about here but in the UK at least you can get unemployment benefits for as long as necessary providing you can show you are actively seeking and able to work (i.e. applying for jobs, attending interviews). Your past work history doesn't factor into it.

kijin 12y ago
> providing you can show you are actively seeking and able to work (i.e. applying for jobs, attending interviews). Your past work history doesn't factor into it. Past history doesn't matter, but what about the kind of work you want to do in the future? The criteria you listed seem to be optimized for people who are looking for full-time employment. Would you qualify if you were an independent contractor who is temporarily out of clients? According to Wikipedia [1], the UK JSA often requires beneficiaries to call or visit a specific number of companies each week, and not refuse a reasonable job offer. How does that work for an independent contractor who wants to continue being independent? Do you have to prove that you tried to sell your services to a specific number of potential clients each week? Or do you give up and just get a traditional job? If it's the latter, then the system is deliberately putting independent contractors at a disadvantage. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad -- after all, beggars can't be choosers -- but it does dampen the original article's enthusiasm about project-based employment being the norm of the future. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobseeker%27s_Allowance#Jobseeker.27s_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobseeker%27s_Allowance#Jobsee...

kijin 12y ago

> providing you can show you are actively seeking and able to work (i.e. applying for jobs, attending interviews). Your past work history doesn't factor into it. Past history doesn't matter, but what about the kind of work you want to do in the future? The criteria you listed seem to be optimized for people who are looking for full-time employment. Would you qualify if you were an independent contractor who is temporarily out of clients? According to Wikipedia [1], the UK JSA often requires beneficiaries to call or visit a specific number of companies each week, and not refuse a reasonable job offer. How does that work for an independent contractor who wants to continue being independent? Do you have to prove that you tried to sell your services to a specific number of potential clients each week? Or do you give up and just get a traditional job? If it's the latter, then the system is deliberately putting independent contractors at a disadvantage. I'm not saying this is necessarily bad -- after all, beggars can't be choosers -- but it does dampen the original article's enthusiasm about project-based employment being the norm of the future. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobseeker%27s_Allowance#Jobseeker.27s_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobseeker%27s_Allowance#Jobsee...