> even though a home builder would go out of business without the sub-contractors. //
They wouldn't, because they could drop in a replacement contractor. In your example the house builder relies on contractors but not the specific set of people doing the contracting (as in the parent), so any contractor can be replaced readily from the pool of contractors.
In theory a contractor can send someone else in to do the work, as long as the work in the contract is completed. If you demand a specific person to do work then they're likely an employee.
> In your example the house builder relies on contractors but not the specific set of people doing the contracting (as in the parent), so any contractor can be replaced readily from the pool of contractors.
All you've done is restate my comment.
> In theory a contractor can send someone else in to do the work, as long as the work in the contract is completed. If you demand a specific person to do work then they're likely an employee.
That theory is wrong. If Business A depends upon the specific person B, and B does other work outside of A, then B is not necessarily an employee of A. There are many people with specialized knowledge that others do not have. The acquisition of that knowledge doesn't make them employees. It makes them valuable.
They wouldn't, because they could drop in a replacement contractor. In your example the house builder relies on contractors but not the specific set of people doing the contracting (as in the parent), so any contractor can be replaced readily from the pool of contractors.
In theory a contractor can send someone else in to do the work, as long as the work in the contract is completed. If you demand a specific person to do work then they're likely an employee.