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New US relief bill to boost unemployment insurance by $600 a week for gig workers, freelancers and more

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  1. skybrian
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    From the article:

    From the article:

    The stimulus package loosens unemployment insurance eligibility requirements to include those who are self-employed, gig workers, independent contractors and freelancers.

    This is a major change for gig workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, who are typically classified as independent contractors.

    Part-time workers, furloughed employees and anyone who can no longer physically go to their jobs (like waitstaff at restaurants ordered to close) will be covered under this expansion. Unemployment insurance will also be extended to people who recently started a new job but were laid off due to the pandemic, even if they don’t have sufficient work history previously required to be eligible.

    People who in the past didn’t qualify for unemployment insurance will receive 50% of their state’s average benefits payout, plus $600 per week, said Arindrajit Dube, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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