At least in my country, there can be pretty big differences between being a temp and being an "independent contractor".
If you work for a temp agency and they send you to a warehouse, you'll have managers/trainers a few steps away, you'll get paid by the hour, and you won't have to spend your own money.
On the other hand, if you're an "independent contractor" for a parcel delivery company you'll be working alone, you'll get paid by the parcel, and you'll be paying for your own vehicle and fuel and whatnot.
The different environments make a big difference in terms of things like whether an employee can make a loss/less than minimum wage, how much it's in their interests to cut corners, and how long it takes for someone to spot if they're struggling and give them help.
If you work for a temp agency and they send you to a warehouse, you'll have managers/trainers a few steps away, you'll get paid by the hour, and you won't have to spend your own money.
On the other hand, if you're an "independent contractor" for a parcel delivery company you'll be working alone, you'll get paid by the parcel, and you'll be paying for your own vehicle and fuel and whatnot.
The different environments make a big difference in terms of things like whether an employee can make a loss/less than minimum wage, how much it's in their interests to cut corners, and how long it takes for someone to spot if they're struggling and give them help.