In the years following the pandemic, a record number of Americans have turned to flexible, independent work for alternative ways to generate sustainable income. Nearly 75% of these workers say that flexible work opportunities are now more important to their financial freedom than ever before. While flexible, non-traditional work like dashing remains increasingly popular, it has outpaced the makeup of current U.S. laws around retirement savings and other employment-based benefits. That’s why DoorDash is supporting the Retirement Savings for Americans Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress by Senators John Hickenlooper and Thom Tillis and Reps. Terri Sewell and Lloyd Smucker. The bill would empower workers who don’t have retirement plans and can’t access them through an employer, including part-time employees and independent workers, to save for retirement through a government-sponsored retirement savings program, including the potential for a savings match.
Flexible work opportunities provide millions of people across the country with benefits that traditional jobs can’t, such as the ability to set their own schedule and work on their own time. In fact, 74% of Dashers say the ability to work flexibly allows them to feel more present and available at home for their families. Under this bill, many Dashers could choose that flexibility without having to forgo the help planning for retirement that’s long been reserved for only full-time employees.
If the U.S. Congress passes this bipartisan, forward-thinking bill, millions of independent contractors who see unmatched value and essential flexibility in their work will have a secure path to retirement.
Today, 71% of non-retired adults in America say they are worried about their ability to retire, and expectations for a comfortable retirement are at their lowest point since 2012. The ability to invest in a retirement account, especially with programs that include the potential for a matching contribution, is critical to retiring with dignity.
The Act would modernize existing laws to empower many independent workers like Dashers to access the kind of managed, tax-advantaged retirement savings programs usually out of reach for all but full-time employees. The program also includes the potential for a contribution match, offering rates in line with the average amount that employers match nationally, further expanding savings potential and helping many part-time and independent workers access the kinds of benefits as those in more traditional jobs while meeting the needs of an ever-growing and diverse workforce.
