I. “Employing unit” means any individual or type of organization, including any partnership, association, joint venture, trust, estate, joint-stock company, or corporation, whether domestic or foreign, or the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, trustee or successor thereof, or the legal representative of a deceased person, or this state or any political subdivision or any instrumentality thereof, which has, or subsequent to January 1, 1935, had, in its employ one or more individuals performing services for it within this state.
II. All individuals performing services within this state for any employing unit which maintains 2 or more separate establishments within this state shall be deemed to be employed by a single employing unit for all purposes of this chapter. Whenever any employing unit contracts with or has under it any contractor or subcontractor for any work which is part of its usual trade, occupation, profession or business, individuals in the employ of such contractors or subcontractors shall be considered to be in the employ of the employing unit unless it shall be proven to the satisfaction of the commissioner of the department of employment security that such contracting is not for the purpose of avoiding the application of this chapter. Each individual employed to perform or to assist in performing the work of any agent or employee of an employing unit shall be deemed to be employed by such employing unit for all the purposes of this chapter, whether such individual was hired or paid directly by such employing unit or by such agent or employee, provided the employing unit had actual or constructive knowledge of the work.