Summary of range of losses to social insurance of independent contractors status, by representative occupations, 2021 dollars
| Total contributions to social insurance, independent contractor status | Total cost to social insurance programs of independent contractor status ($) | Total cost to social insurance programs of independent contractor status (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupations | Median annual W-2 earnings | Total employer and employee contributions to social insurance, employee status | Low estimate | High estimate | Low estimate | High estimate | Low estimate | High estimate |
| Construction workers | $48,210 | $9,407 | $6,443 | $7,627 | $1,781 | $2,964 | 18.9% | 31.5% |
| Truck drivers | $48,310 | $9,345 | $6,313 | $7,574 | $1,771 | $3,031 | 19.0% | 32.4% |
| Janitors and cleaners | $29,760 | $5,561 | $4,100 | $4,499 | $1,062 | $1,461 | 19.1% | 26.3% |
| Home health and personal care aides | $29,430 | $5,313 | $3,913 | $4,517 | $796 | $1,399 | 15.0% | 26.3% |
| Retail sales workers | $29,120 | $5,122 | $3,948 | $4,347 | $775 | $1,174 | 15.1% | 22.9% |
| Housekeeping cleaners | $28,780 | $5,378 | $3,964 | $4,350 | $1,028 | $1,414 | 19.1% | 26.3% |
| Landscaping workers | $34,430 | $6,434 | $4,749 | $5,211 | $1,223 | $1,685 | 19.0% | 26.2% |
| Customer service reps / call center workers | $36,920 | $6,489 | $5,091 | $5,478 | $1,010 | $1,398 | 15.6% | 21.5% |
| Security guards | $29,680 | $5,092 | $3,991 | $4,507 | $585 | $1,101 | 11.5% | 21.6% |
| Light truck delivery drivers | $29,280 | $5,924 | $3,938 | $4,516 | $1,408 | $1,985 | 23.8% | 33.5% |
| Manicurists and pedicurists | $25,770 | $4,816 | $3,546 | $3,891 | $925 | $1,270 | 19.2% | 26.4% |
Notes: The low estimate of the value to worker of job as an independent contractor is calculated as the occupation's median annual earnings via regular pay, which excludes supplemental pay, paid leave, and employer contributions to health insurance and retirement plans. The high estimate is calculated as regular pay plus the dollar value of employer contributions to health insurance and retirement plans. For further details, see "EPI comments on DOL’s proposed rulemaking on employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act." Some differences may not be exact due to rounding.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Compensation Survey's Employer Costs for Employee Compensation data and the BLS's Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data.