The gig economy is hitting the headlines at the moment, with increasing numbers of employees opting for freelance positions over more traditional contracts. Today, more than 42% of Britains self-employed workers are freelancers. That’s 6% of the UK workforce as a whole!
The advantages of the gig economy are numerous, for both employees and businesses. Hiring freelance workers enables businesses to connect with talented workers all over the world, and get the best possible results for their projects. It also offers brilliant flexibility and can enable teams to complete projects far more quickly than they would have done if they had relied exclusively on in-house talent.
Take a look at some of the main advantages of the gig economy for businesses and you’ll soon see why so many companies are starting to invest in freelancers.
Find the best talent for your company
Many companies receive hundreds of applications for the vacancies that they promote, but this pool of talent is usually limited to job seekers in their immediate vicinity.
A significant proportion of freelancers choose to work remotely, and thanks to cutting edge collaborative software and communication tools, it’s incredibly easy to do so. Businesses who opt to hire remote workers benefit enormously from this, as they can increase their talent pool significantly.
Several websites are powering the success of the gig economy, by connecting businesses with the best freelancers for their projects. Adeva is a prime example of this. The platform aims to provide businesses with access to world-class tech talent, who can work alongside existing teams to help manage workloads, new projects and employee absences.
By forgetting about the geographical location of workers, a business puts itself in the best possible position to find the most talented people for the job in question. And that’s why hiring freelancers can enable your company to find incredible undiscovered talent.
A new level of flexibility
The workload of employees is rarely static, and this can sometimes mean that businesses pay over the odds for a huge workforce that they only need at certain times of the year.
For companies whose workload increases significantly during certain periods, or as a result of specific projects, freelancers could well be the solution.
Hiring freelancers gives companies the flexibility to access the support of a team of remote workers as and when they need them. During quieter periods, the company can then save money by not having to pay the salaries of their freelance workforce.
Freelancing is well known for the flexibility it offers workers, but that flexibility is just as advantageous to businesses.
Connect with experts for short-term projects
Large-scale corporations have huge numbers of talented experts available to help with all kinds of different projects. But for small businesses, this isn’t really an option.
Smaller companies can compete with their larger competitors, however, simply by working with freelancers.
The gig economy enables companies to seek the support of experts whose experience and knowledge is specifically relevant to the project in question. Therefore, a company gets the full insight and expertise of a hugely experienced freelance team member, as and when it's required. By working with freelancers, a company can ensure that every single project has been overseen by an expert in that field.
Speed of delivery
The speed at which projects can be delivered usually depends on the size of a company’s workforce. But when a business partners with a team of freelancers, they can lighten the load of their core workforce, while simultaneously upping the speed at which they’re able to deliver projects.
Many freelancers are used to quick turnaround times, and because they can usually give a freelance project their full attention, they’re able to deliver work far more swiftly than in-house teams could. With freelancers, businesses can ramp up the speed of their projects and get results more quickly than ever before.
Availability for future projects
The unpredictability of freelance work is something that all gig economy workers battle with. But when strong working relationships are formed between companies and freelancers, the stress and strain associated with finding work can be lifted.
This isn’t just good news for freelancers. It’s also beneficial for businesses because it means that the freelancers they work with regularly will be keen to keep themselves available for future projects.
When communication is strong, companies will be assured of the future availability of their preferred remote workers, meaning they can concentrate on putting plans in place for upcoming projects. Some businesses may wish to work with a group of freelancers, an example being react js consultancy.
The gig economy is becoming increasingly popular with companies in almost every industry.
In this digital age, freelancers provide a new world of opportunities for businesses. The potential of this flexible workforce now offers companies a wide range of advantages, helping them to complete projects more quickly, and to a higher standard, than they might otherwise have done.
If you’re on the hunt for new talent and you’ve got a project that you can’t wait to get started, it’s well worth considering partnering with a team of expert freelancers.
