Illinois’ ‘gig economy’ employees still don’t know when they will be able to access unemployment benefits. According to a press released by Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady yesterday, gig employees like Uber Drivers, AirBnB owners, hair stylists, and many other freelance and contract workers make up 18% of the state’s workforce. Under the recently signed federal stimulus law, gig economy workers are eligible for unemployment benefits and state’s are required to modify their reporting methods to accommodate the claims.
Brady’s press release says that the modification for the Illinois Department of Employment Security could take months in implementing modifications to its website for reporting. Illinois is tied for third place among states with the largest segments of work carried out by gig workers, according to a report by the ADP Research Institute. Representatives of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office told Capitol Fax today that the state is contracting with a vendor to get the gig economy reporting program running as soon as possible.
