The freelance future

Management

Sponsored by Comatch

The nature and role of the freelance workforce has changed enormously in recent years, often in ways that have not been clearly communicated and are not especially well known.

Tech enablement, agile business needs, and greater demands for flexible working are all contributing to an expansion in the independent working sector. According to the UK’s independent professionals organisation IPSE, one in seven of the workforce is now self-employed, a 35% increase over the last decade.

The ups and downs in what’s often called ‘the gig economy’ have garnered much of the attention in recent years. As a result some of the key trends in independent working have been overlooked by the media.

Crucially, the independent workforce is increasingly diverse. It ranges from the Deliveroo drivers and TaskRabbit workers juggling a variety of ‘gigs’, to high-skill, and high value consulting and transformation experts. It is this latter group which has driven the recent boom in independent work; growing 47% since 2008 according to IPSE’s research, the biggest change of any section of the freelance market.

COMATCH and other similar marketplaces are where these independent professionals and their clients increasingly find each other. Our own research shows that nearly half (48%) of independent professionals use an online marketplace to find work. Quality and consistency is key; by screening and supporting our members and working with clients to identify their needs, we ensure companies have fast access to an international pool of top quality professionals and can be confident of strong and immediate fit with their culture and way of working.

This approach delivers great benefits for both independents and clients. Increasingly, businesses of all types and sizes need access to a wide pool of specialist and expert talent. For smaller businesses in particular, this has previously not been possible without great effort. Now, whatever the need; from supporting regular processes in busy times (eg peak sales times or their financial reporting cycle) to bringing in niche experts for one-off projects; all businesses can rapidly find and engage people with precisely the right skills.