Many times, contract workers, while being gainfully employed, don't receive the same benefits as the full-time personnel they often work alongside. Although they are paid a competitive hourly rate, contractors aren't usually afforded any health benefits or the option to call in sick. When the latter happens, many times clients will contact their staffing agency and ask for a replacement and the temporary worker who was sick will often find themselves out of a job.

However in California, this particular practice could soon be coming to an end.

A recent report from The Washington Post revealed that the legislature in the Golden State recently passed a law calling for part-time employees and temporary workers to receive as many as three paid sick days every year. California now becomes the second state in the U.S. to offer this kind of benefit to the supplemental workforce after Connecticut was the first to do so.

This measure is significant because, according to a separate report from the Sacramento Bee, the number of contract employees in the state is nearly 7 million people. That number is the equivalent of 40 percent of California's workforce.

"Tonight, the Legislature took historic action to help hardworking Californians," Jerry Brown, the governor of California told the Bee after the legislation passed. "This bill guarantees that millions of workers – from Eureka to San Diego – won't lose their jobs or pay just because they get sick."

Considering the value that contract workers provide to companies, it makes sense that they are afforded similar benefits as those who work in full-time opportunities. Other states are expected to follow California's lead as well as Connecticut's the first state to offer this benefit to its contract workforce.

Small Business Labs revealed recently that millions of people in the U.S. are working on fixed-term contracts. Giving these individuals benefits, no matter how small strengthens the workforce as a whole.

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