In our modern hectic world, increasing numbers of workers are looking for jobs that offer them more freedom so they can attain a better work/life balance. Whether it be a desire to spend more time with family and friends, the wish to travel more, or just wanting to have more free time, many employees are turning their backs on the traditional Monday to Friday 9-5 and striking out to go it alone working in a freelance capacity.
The effect that modern technology has had on employment opportunities
Technology and, in particular, the internet has completely revolutionized modern employment opportunities making it possible for individuals to reach out directly to firms and take on micro-projects on a freelance basis. Indeed, the freelance market has never been bigger than today, with multiple job boards and online resource sites available for individuals to find work.
How COVID-19 changed the freelance market forever
Through the lockdowns and isolations caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak, the majority of companies were forced to redress their current working policies and find ways to allow their employees to work from home – more often than not by embracing cloud computing technologies.
Moreover, the financial strains caused by the virus have also seen companies look for ways to cut their day-to-day overhead – often by employing freelancers to help firms slash their operating costs.
Skills already suited to working freelance in the digital workplace
If you’re lucky, you’ll already have a talent that fits into this new digital age of employment – for example, working as a web designer, writer, photographer, or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist.
However, many other new fields have come to the fore in recent years. For example, if you’re a car or van owner, you could join an online hot shot trucking service to earn a great wage working as a courier driver with very little outlay using your existing vehicle. Better yet, these types of sites feature a filter to find jobs that suit you – meaning you can pick and choose the work you do.
Indeed, these days, the freelance market encompasses pretty much all industries, offering opportunities in everything from computer programming to interior design, accountancy, personal training, translation work, and so on.
Is freelancing the future of employment?
With so much financial and societal upheaval caused by the first wave of coronavirus – not to mention the ongoing dangers of variants frequently emerging – there’s little doubt the world is going to remain somewhat different from our old normal for some time to come.
Perhaps more importantly, COVID gave many companies the shot in the arm they so desperately needed to start integrating more with technology to take advantage of the considerable time and cost savings that come from working online and outsourcing areas of work that might normally have been handled in-house.
Most industry experts suggest the somewhat dated 9-5 work model is already dead and buried. With so many regular, full-time employees now migrating to the cloud and working from home, in the future, there is likely to be considerable uptake in firms also employing freelancers working on the same connected networks.
