The Washington State Department of Commerce commissioned MEF Associates to design and conduct a descriptive study on independent contractor employment in Washington. The work, conducted at the request of the Washington State legislature, explored the needs of workers earning income as independent contractors, sources of income for these workers, and the benefits provided to independent workers. The project was an opportunity to fill an important gap in the understanding of employment of independent contractors in Washington. While the existing data infrastructure was well-suited to measure traditional employment, those data were insufficient to fully capture the experiences of independent contractors. The study team used a mixed methods approach that: (1) analyzed secondary data sources including administrative records, (2) fielded an exploratory survey data collection on these workers, and (3) facilitated focus group discussions with independent contractors. MEF was the prime contractor and partnered with Weeks Consulting and Professors Heather Hill and Scott Allard on this project.
