The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule on Tuesday that would make it more difficult for companies to treat workers as independent contractors, a change that is expected to shake up the business models of the ridesharing, delivery and other industries that rely on gig workers.

The proposal would require that workers be considered a company's employees, who are entitled to more benefits and legal protections than contractors, when they are "economically dependent" on the company.

The Labor Department said it will consider workers' opportunity for profit or loss, the permanency of their jobs, and the degree of control a company exercises over a worker, among other factors.