MOSCOW, March 27 - RAPSI. The Federation Council has approved a law on Wednesday obliging employers to sign labor contracts with freelancers. The relevant amendments will be made to the Labor Code and the law on electronic signature.

The law stipulates that off-site employees are free to set their work schedule. Labor contracts for freelancers and amendments to such documents can be signed through the exchange of electronic documents. The employer should send the freelancer a hard copy of the contract by certified mail with a return receipt within three days of signing the contract.

Freelancers can ask employers not to add information about their employment to their employment record. In this case, the primary document certifying the freelancer's employment is a copy of the contract. The law will mostly concern professionals who can telecommute, such as journalists, programmers, translators and designers, as well as other individuals who work from home.

The amendments will help Russia develop a civilized labor relations system for off-site employees whose number, according to statistics, may reach into the hundreds of thousands, the law's supporting documents say.