Protecting the Modern Working Class?

Noah Lang has posted a provocative piece in LinkedIn, “Manifesto for a Modern Worker Class: The On Demand Contractor“.  His premise is that platforms such as Uber and Airbnb have changed the game and that our tax and benefit laws need to catch up.

He asserts that the number of contractors is only going to grow for the foreseeable future. Uber and similar platforms have made it much easier to become a freelancer. The platform does the sales and marketing. You, the freelancer, no longer have to take the months or years required to develop your personal reputation to be successful. The platform develops the reputation. You agree to meet the standards set by the platform. An ideal business model for rapid growth.

So, how are we as a society going to provide a social safety net and longer-term security for all of these new independent contractors (i.e., health care, disability, retirement)? If we don’t,  what are the implications? We may be talking about these things for years to come.