Freelance Careers Trump One-time Gigs: Reports

Gig employment discussions frequently focus on tasks that require driving, delivery, and other similar activities. However, with the ongoing changes in the nature and future of work, may freelancing or gig labour become a job of choice for more highly educated and experienced professionals?

A recent analysis from work-as-a-service platform Awign decodes this pattern using real-world data. Because these figures are based on observable data, they may not represent the general population. However, these might still give companies some patterns on the types of freelancing work organisations seek. It can provide insight into where qualified persons can find chances for job seekers.

Number of tech companies hiring independent contractors has increased

According to the research, based on ASSOCHAM data, "India will have 15 million independent workers or freelancers in 2024, with industries such as IT, finance, HR, and design hiring people on a project basis." Notably, the number of tech companies hiring independent contractors has increased. According to a November 2022 survey by NASSCOM, Indeed, and AON, the share of Indian tech companies hiring gig workers increased to 65% in 2022 from 57% in 2020."

Indeed, the general demand for freelance work has increased since the pandemic. However, one of the more intriguing findings of the data is a rise in demand for persons with doctorate degrees. The second intriguing trend is that, due to more excellent connectivity in the workplace, most of this demand comes from smaller towns and cities. According to Awign data, the number of gig workers in tier-2 and tier-3 cities increased by 65.4% and 80.4%, respectively, between FY21 and FY22. With female employee attrition becoming a concern for some businesses, may remote and qualified freelancing employment be an appealing career alternative for some educated women?

Again, Awign data reveal a considerable increase in women's participation in the gig workforce - a 187% increase in women's participation on gig platforms from FY21 to FY22.

Women have been doing gig work

According to the survey, women have been doing gig work such as data entry, content and data operations, and proctoring to help support themselves and their families.

Some of the professional freelancing labour mentioned in the report is in retail; these skilled retail workers include salespeople, cashiers, and inventory personnel. Supervisory, mid-management, and senior-level technicians are among the qualified personnel in logistics.

Freelance partners increased their demand for invigilation and proctoring engagements

In FY22, freelance partners increased their demand for invigilation and proctoring engagements by 9X and 2X, respectively. The market for tech roles such as full-stack developers, data scientists, react and java developers, mobile app developers, and cloud engineers increased by 240% in calendar 2022. With greater unpredictability in the business world, a highly qualified freelance pool can help to improve business specialism and depth.

People are drawn to various job paths for a variety of reasons. However, this is not a one-time opportunity. For that change to occur, many factors must be in place, including labour legislation, insurance, and technological platforms that facilitate greater access to upskilling opportunities.