Anywhere workers
SKILLED AUSSIES ARE JETTING OFF TO WORK AND TRAVEL AS THEY PLEASE
Australians are ditching their 9 to 5 jobs to join a global movement that combines travel and freelance work. Dubbed “Anywhere Workers”, the nomads are taking advantage of a worldwide shortage of talent to work and travel as they please.
Freelancing platform Fiverr believes the trend is set to stay, with half of Anywhere Workers saying they plan to live and work this way forever.
“The strict lockdowns many Australians have faced over the past couple of years make Anywhere Working particularly attractive,’’ says Fiverr international expansion vice president Peggy de Lange.
“One thing that two years in lockdown has shown is that remote work is effective and this, combined with the global shortage of indemand skills, means that you don’t need to take time off work to travel and you don’t need to sacrifice an incredible getaway just because you have an important meeting.
“An Anywhere Worker may indeed choose to work from home for periods of time or fall in love with a country and move there and that’s the beauty of it altogether – working from anywhere is possible.’’
WHO CAN DO IT?
Freelancers with highly specific technical skills, including 3D animation and blockchain development, can easily make enough money to travel, earning more than $4500 per job, says de Lange.
“Freelancers are able to find work quickly if they are skilled in highly sought-after fields like digital marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation) and NFTs (nonfungible tokens), and even more so if they are interested in working flexibly with businesses around the globe,’’ she says.
Those with Web3-related skills, who can assist with platforms like Shopify and YouTube, are also in high demand.
MIX WORK AND PLAY
Recent research by Contiki reveals 70 per cent of young Aussies are rethinking their current career to accommodate more travel, but chief executive officer Adam Armstrong says the work-from-anywhere movement means they do not have to put their career on hold.
“As the world progresses, we are seeing more flexibility in workplaces around the world (and) across a range of industries,’’ Armstrong says.
“The global trend of ‘workcations’ is really taking off, with people embracing the benefits of mixing work and play.”
MAKING IT WORK
Strong internet and phone services are key to successfully combining work and travel, which may limit some locations, says Armstrong.
“We encourage travellers to wander ‘outside the box’ but maybe save those remote locations for the weekends,’’ he says.
“We would also suggest considering time zones with your onground team – even though you may be on opposite sides of the globe, aligning your schedules will help you and your team work collaboratively and keep you in the loop.’’
Armstrong says it’s important that workers check company policies regarding working from anywhere and update their resumes to showcase their skills and experience, including those gained during travel.