On Oct. 26 the New York State Construction Industry Fair Play Act went into effect. This new statute is likely to have an enormous impact on the construction industry by imposing stringent requirements for any worker to qualify as an independent contractor. Indeed, many have voiced the concern that the Act will effectively end the use of most independent contractors.
The Act’s intent is to stop the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, which has been a prevalent practice in the industry. Studies show that misclassification in construction runs as high as 15%, more than 50% higher than in other sectors. It is estimated that nearly fifty thousand New York City construction workers are either misclassified or work off the books. The result of this misclassification is reduced government taxes, workers not covered by workmen’s compensation and an unfair cost advantage to contractors that do not properly classify their workers.