Freelancers will certainly have a decisive role to play in the labor market as businesses wade back toward post-pandemic normalcy. 2019 survey data from the hiring platform giant Upwork found respondents identifying talent scarcity and access to in-demand skills as core challenges for hiring. Subsequent findings from that survey in 2020, however, marked an important paradigm shift: Nearly half of all reporting organizations had implemented hiring freezes, and another 39% had either already laid off employees or expected to do so in the future. Likewise, employers anticipated by then that only 53% of their laid-off workforce would be rehired, while only 10% of businesses reported a hiring increase in light of the pandemic. So what does all of this mean for your business? Whatever your hiring strategy, every operation eventually has to reckon with how to scale properly — whether to grow internal teams and when to outsource. Know that where there is successful expansion, your business will likely find itself having to outsource at least some of its nonessential functions. There are considerations to weigh between both moves (which we’ll cover here) so that flexible talent has the place it needs in your business scaling strategy. Flexible Staffing Solutions by Talent Type Although it might be tempting to take an on-demand hiring approach to reduce company overhead through flexible talent, bringing on the right out-of-house talent should be a front-and-center consideration when it comes to your business operations and strategy. Two of the more common types of talent include: Freelancers: Known also as “gig workers,” all freelancers work on a contract basis, and many prefer it that way. Quality talent from this pool brings valuable and reliable expertise to your operation, and you only need to tap freelancers when you have project work. You might also consider whether permalancers or interns need to be part of your agency strategy. White-label services: Essentially, this refers to a service that you rebrand to make it appear as your own. Oftentimes, you will have a customer who wants a service that is not part of your current service offerings, for instance. In this situation, you can outsource the work to white-label partners who will allow you to put your own name on the service. Overall, white-label partners can provide this service without disruption to your current operations. Even though the benefits of hiring a freelancer are plenty, intentional hiring must always be central to your business operations and strategy, rather than reaching for the cheapest staffing option. Knowing which talent types can do what for your company will count in a big way toward that end. The Benefits of Outsourcing (Beyond Simple Cost-Cutting) It is more than just effective overhead management that agencies stand to gain from a more flexible staffing approach. The common reflex among agencies is to adjust their headcount according to business opportunities as they exist in the moment — or even in the quarter. Although wide, impacting decisions need to be made in real time, this is […]
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