Skilled freelancers deliver on time

Charlotte Gregson at Malt explains why freelancers are the future of work

 

The number of people freelancing, contracting and consulting continues to rise annually across Europe. Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a much greater acceptance of freelancing as a career choice, and more and more businesses are hiring freelance talent into their teams.

 

In October 2022, there were 4.2 million self-employed workers in the UK, which has steadily risen from 3.2 million in December 2000. The pandemic played a huge part, with people favouring flexibility, and organisations looking for independent talent to plug gaps or help with a sudden peak in activity.

 

In the current climate, we have observed more organisations turning to freelancers to support their growth, offering adaptability and flexibility when it comes to fluctuating business activity.

 

Freelancing is a career choice

A recent survey carried out amongst independent management consultants found that 66% of people would choose freelance employment over permanent employment in the next eight to ten years.

 

While the most in-demand skills are reportedly still held by writers and web designers, there’s a digital skills shortage and the demand for individuals with IT and digital skills, such as SEO consultants, software engineers and developers, has never been greater.

 

There’s also an upward trend of hiring independent executives at a senior level. Chief Financial Officers, Chief Executive Officers and Chief Technology Officers are often sought after for interim executive roles. Usually, for a defined time, interim professionals can fill gaps when senior people leave a company unexpectedly, to support organisational change or lead a specific initiative.

 

The benefits of mixed teams

We’re seeing more companies building hybrid teams of freelancers and employees to support their needs. The current skills shortage, particularly in tech roles, means that recruiting can be a tough gig, while HR and talent managers are finding they can quickly hire freelancers with specialist skills to carry out specific projects, reducing headcount without impacting their access to talent.

 

It takes on average just six days to hire freelancers with Malt. Compare this to the median time of 49 days to hire an engineer on a permanent basis according to a LinkedIn study, the difference is significant when a company needs to unlock capacity quickly.

 

While some may challenge the cost of hiring a freelancer, employees come with hidden costs, from recruitment fees and training to benefits, annual leave and sick leave.

 

Freelancers come with well-honed skills. Our data shows that they spend on average four hours a week developing these skills. Companies can benefit from this additional knowledge and expertise, harnessing it to enhance their own project, product, solution or service and reinforce their personal brand.

 

Most of our clients also tell us that freelancers bring new perspectives from leveraging their broader variety of experience and so they often bring new ideas into the team.

 

Working with freelancers effectively

Research conducted last year amongst 3,000 European freelancers revealed that they were planning to spend more time at clients’ offices in the future to feel more a part of the team.

 

To maximise the value of freelancers, companies must spend time properly onboarding and briefing them. Regardless of whether the freelancer is based in the office or not and how long their tenure is, it’s important they’re able to work effectively with other members of the team, so even something as simple as having access to the right drive or files is important.

 

By taking the time to understand what motivates the freelancers within their teams, managers will foster a more collaborative environment with open lines of communication, and the project is more likely to succeed. 

 

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Charlotte Gregson is the UK Country Head at Malt, an end-to-end talent marketplace that allows companies across the UK and Europe to source and manage freelance talent, from consulting, tech/digital, data and creative professions

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com