The latest pivot in a long back-and-forth over how employers should classify gig workers occurred late in February, when the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule to loosen the test for determining independent contractors.

The Trump administration intends to rescind a rule issued by President Joe Biden’s DOL that restored a “multifactor economic reality test” for determining when an employee should be an independent contractor, rather than a full-time worker. That rule directed businesses to take into account six different factors when evaluating workers, with no one factor taking precedence over another, HR Brew recently reported.

The DOL stopped applying the Biden-era rule in enforcement matters in May of last year. Should the proposed rule take effect, the DOL will officially return to an “economic reality” test that gives two central factors more weight than others: “The nature and degree of control over the work,” and “The worker’s opportunity for profit or loss based on initiative and/or investment.”

For more on what looser gig worker classification could mean for HR, keep reading here.—CV

After slowly closing for decades, the gender pay gap started to expand again in 2024. A new report from Glassdoor highlights where the gap widened the most, and what role employers can play in creating fair workplaces for women.

Women’s wages often level off after 35, largely due to structural issues they disproportionately face, including caregiver responsibilities, according to the report. As such, the pay gap grows the longer women are in the workforce, from roughly 12% at the start of their careers, to 19% a decade in, the report found. The gap is much smaller (4%) for men and women in similar roles.

However, women frequently “plateau” in their careers by their mid-30s, suggesting that fewer promotion and advancement opportunities are available or taken. Overall, this contributes to the 25% pay gap many experience after three decades in the workforce. Men tend to assume more responsibilities and higher positions, leading to even bigger pay disparities.

For more on Glassdoor’s findings, keep reading here.—KP

Like cable television, Labubu dolls, and kids shouting “6-7,” computer science degrees may be slowly but surely going out of style with college students. However, tech leaders aren’t too worried about how they will lure future employees just yet.

The popularity of computer science degrees, once viewed as a ticket to a high-paying job, has seemingly begun to falter in recent years. Late last year, a Computing Research Association pulse survey, based on respondents from 130 academic institutions, found enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs for computing fell 62% in the 2025–2026 school year from the previous year. Meanwhile, data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that enrollment in similar programs fell 3.6% at Planning Accreditation Board-accredited undergraduate institutions in Fall 2025.

Dave Lewis, 1Password’s global advisory CISO, told IT Brew the new hesitancy among students is driven by the rise of AI and its disruptions to the labor market.

For more on what this trend may mean for the tech talent pipeline, keep reading on IT Brew.—BM

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