semployer

Semployer is a term used in labor relations discourse to describe an entity that exerts partial control over and responsibility for workers without being the primary contracting employer. In practice, a semployer may influence schedules, supervision, safety training, and performance evaluation, and may assume or share some administrative duties such as payroll processing, tax withholdings, or benefits administration. However, the formal employment contract may be held by another party, such as a staffing firm, platform, or client company, making the worker technically employed by that other party in varying degrees.

The legal status of semployers is not uniform; jurisdictions may treat semployers as joint employers with shared liability for wage and hour laws and other labor standards, or may resist such classifications if the contractual relationship centers on the primary employer of record. Because of this ambiguity, the semployer concept often appears in debates about the gig economy, subcontracting, franchising, and outsourcing.

Common examples include platform-based work arrangements where a digital platform controls tasks, scheduling, and ratings but the worker is contracted through an intermediary; franchise networks where franchisors exercise operational control while employees are hired by franchisees; and staffing agencies that place workers with client companies.

In summary, semployer is a descriptive label rather than a fixed legal category, used to discuss layered employment relationships that activate some employer obligations while leaving others to a different party.