“The Obama Administration yesterday announced
a series of proposals that will be included in this year’s budget proposal
related to the future of work and how to make benefits more universal and
portable.
These
proposals include creating pooled 401(k) plans for small businesses; enrolling
workers without a workplace retirement plan in an IRA; incentives for small
businesses to offer retirement plans; and several pilot programs to test new
models for providing benefits. The Department of Labor will also conduct
a contingent worker survey to get needed data about the size and shape of
today’s workforce.
These initiatives are a step in the right
direction. Over the past year, we’ve seen new workplace models
emerge as the Gig Economy develops in places from Tacoma to
Tallahassee. It’s clear that existing models for delivering benefits
are outdated and falling short. What made sense for employees
working for one employer for decades does not make sense for workers who might
be working multiple jobs at the same time to supplement their income or make
ends meet.
It’s heartening to see the Administration take
a leadership role on this issue. We clearly need a national dialogue
involving businesses, workers, unions, economists and others about how workers
are classified and how to make benefits more portable. This is one
of the most important workplace issues that we as a society must
resolve. At TechNet, we
stand ready to work with federal and state policymakers to ensure that our
nation is addressing the needs of workers in the 21st century
economy.”
About TechNet
TechNet
is the national, bipartisan network of CEOs and senior executives that promotes
the growth of the technology industry by building long-term relationships
between technology leaders and policymakers and by advocating a targeted policy
agenda at the federal and 50-state level. TechNet has offices in Washington,
D.C., Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Seattle, Boston, and Austin.