Currently in Australia there are roughly 3.2 million Australians taking on some form of freelance or contract work. Some of these workers use contracting as a financial substitute for their full-time work whilst others may have multiple contracting jobs to fulfil their financial needs. This number of contract workers is only set to grow.
Find The Benefits of Australian Casual Work
A report by Intuit suggests that by 2020, 40 percent of all workers will either be freelancing or contract based.
There are many reasons why contract work is attractive for both workers and employers.
One factor is the workplace landscape. During the last recession, a large number of workers were laid off and had to find either casual, temporary off project-based work. The recession made it difficult to justify hiring full-time employees when there was no market for it. This lead to the increased number of contract, freelance and part-time work being advertised. Once the recession was over some workers went on to find full-time and permanent positions whilst others who had experienced the benefits of working freelance decided to stay on.
Contract or freelance work may not be for everyone and some people may argue that there are many disadvantages of working from project to project. Some of these disadvantages may include an unpredictable income, little job security and a lack of benefits including annual leave, holiday pay and sick leave or personal leave. On the other hand, there is an increasing amount of people who believe that contracting or freelancing can offer benefits that outweigh these disadvantages.
Some of this include:
Flexibility in your hours worked
- With the amount of people looking for work on the rise, the demand for work outside of traditional hours becomes increasingly warranted. People dining out, 24-hour services and a general globally-connected community means that companies and organisations are required to fill positions that are outside of the traditional working hours.
- Flexibility in where you work – With the introduction of cloud-based applications and high-speed internet there are a number of freelance or contract workers that are able to work from anywhere in the world. Working from home and avoided unnecessary travel during peak hour traffic has become a popular alternative.
- Choice of work – Working as a contractor or freelancer gives you the ability to be your own boss. You are able to choose who you work for and when you work. This gives you a chance to build up your skills through different organisations that require different skills.
- Working in your own time – Some people have irregular schedules and are not available to work the traditional working hours from nine-to-five. As a contractor, you are able to manage your workload and take on work when you want.
Some industries where there is currently a high demand for contract and freelance workers include:
- Warehousing
- Administrative Support
- Hospitality
- IT
- Promotional Work
- Design
With the increasing number of workers staying on the freelancing train, the way in which we hire and get hired is only going to continue to evolve and develop. To really take advantage of these new opportunities workplaces and workers need to research and learn more about this new On Demand economy.
If you’re looking to find out more about the On Demand community checkout Workfast. It is an On Demand staffing platform where all you need to do is post a job that you are looking to fill. Contractors and freelancers within the specific industry then bid on the job. The great thing about Workfast is that there are no obligations and no contracts signed. Both employer and employee both agree on a price and the work is done!
I teamed up with Workfast for this article.
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