That's beyond weak.

Laid off service workers don't need job training or resume assistance.

> Reduced Work Hours

> If your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations due to COVID-19, you can file an Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim. UI provides partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. Workers who are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with their employer within a few weeks are not required to actively seek work each week. However, they must remain able and available and ready to work during their unemployment for each week of benefits claimed and meet all other eligibility criteria. Eligible individuals can receive benefits that range from $40-$450 per week.

> The Governor’s Executive Order waives the one-week unpaid waiting period, so you can collect UI benefits for the first week you are out of work. If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.

Resume assistance in this situation; that's just insulting.

This seems to be for employees only. Are there benefits that are accessible to independent contractors like gig economy workers?

No. That's one of the key ways to differentiate between employees and contractors. Keep this in mind the next time you or anyone else cries bloody murder that the state was overreaching in requiring "gig economy" workers to be classified as employees.

One of the most common arguments against treating "gig economy" workers as employees that I see is that none of these "gigs" are not supposed to be primary sources of income. Unemployment insurance (in California at least) is funded by (and total payout is determined by) paycheck deductions on W-2 employees.

While I certainly support providing financial support for everyone, everyone should be paying into the system. Just like with health insurance.

What about gig economy workers/contractors who don't get unemployment?

Gig workers in California are hurting for other reasons: A lot of them can't adequately support themselves because of recent legislation impacting gig workers in California. This was true before we had a pandemic on our hands.