If there’s a type of workforce that is taking off more than ever, it is the world of gig workers. Contract workers have become more popular than ever in many industries for a variety of reasons. There are benefits found in working with contract workers, so here are a few things to know when tapping into specialized talent:
You can skip some aspects of the hiring process
If you want to quickly find a candidate for a project that you need to get done, a top benefit of working with specialized talent is that you can skip aspects of the hiring process. You don’t need to offer benefits (unless you want to) or go through cheap background checks, unless you want to, making it a lot easier to hire professionals right away for the project at hand.
They can be hired on an as needed basis
Many brands have their in-office team that they depend on for everyday projects and work. However, there are times where your projects may call for more hands on the job. Perhaps you have higher client demand for a specific project or during a certain period of the year.
Working with gig workers can help you to get that extra talent for your projects without having to hire new employees who won’t have enough work to do when the project is over. With freelancers, you get the extra talent and help without wasting money or spending precious time on the hiring/onboarding process.
It can save your company money
As mentioned above, you can save money through hiring gig workers for unique projects. When you only need a professional for one project, hiring a new employee would be a costly endeavor. From needing to provide benefits to all the costs and time spent on simply interviewing and hiring a new team member, it makes sense to save money by contracting a freelancer.
While you always want to offer fair compensation for quality work, you may find hiring freelancers to also be more cost-effective than if you needed to offer a full-time salary to a new employee. Unless you need an in-house professional like a designer, finance professional, writer, or translator to work on consistent projects, it makes sense to hire a gig worker whenever needed.
You can find unique talent you wouldn’t find elsewhere
As you search for the talent that you need for company projects on sites like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and even Craigslist, you may be amazed at the kind of talent you’ll find in the world of gig work. Highly educated and experienced professionals are out there, waiting to get the job done, and all you have to do is look for them on the plethora of websites designed to help match employers with contractors so that everyone gets a piece of the pie.
Typically, freelancers or gig workers are willing to work with repeat clients, so you can always work with these professionals whenever you need to.
While most gig workers and independent contractors work as freelancers and on their own time because they like it that way, in some instances, companies find new employees through working with independent contractors on projects. After repeated success with these contractors, several brands go on to offer full-time jobs to these professionals.
You may be able to find great new employees through hiring gig workers. Many times, if a freelancer is offered the right salary and benefits, as well as an attractive work environment, they may be happy to say yes to a stable career environment.
Concluding thoughts…
As you consider hiring contract workers, with the gig economy becoming increasingly popular in the workforce, you’ll want to think about the points mentioned above. It can save your company time and money to hire independent contractors for your project, so don’t sleep on the potential found in the gig economy.
