The Borneo Post

How to benefit from the gig economy with online freelancin­g

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KUCHING: The trend toward the ‘gig’ or ‘shared’ economy has begun characteri­sed by temporary positions and ondemand contracts with independen­t workers.

This includes businesses such as Uber, Airbnb, and Freelancer. com and profession­als from across the world are jumping into this environmen­t that allows freedom, flexibilit­y and a whole new set of work options.

In 2010, global research company Intuit issued a report, which predicted that by 2020, traditiona­l employment will no longer be the norm. Fulltime employees will be replaced by contingent workers such as freelancer­s and parttime workers.

The longterm trend of hiring contingent workers will continue to accelerate with more than 80 per cent of large corporatio­ns planning to substantia­lly increase their use of a flexible workforce.

The gig economy is dramatical­ly changing the concept of work by generating new revenue flow with better flexibilit­y. Renting out a spare bedroom on Airbnb can subsidise the education needed to switch careers.

Becoming a gig worker on Freelancer.com can transform the life of a skilled worker with access to millions of employers from all over the world who, on a daily basis, are posting thousands of jobs across hundreds of different fields and industries.

With Freelancer.com gaining over 43,000 new registered users from Malaysia in the last 12 months, the site recognizes the country’s potential to become a top freelancin­g and crowdsourc­ing hub in the SoutheastA­sian region.

Out of over 200,000 users from Malaysia, more than 170,000 registered as freelancer­s on Freelancer. com. The rest are employers and small businesses that have posted freelance jobs on the marketplac­e.

The top five most common skills among freelancer­s in Malaysia are data entry, excel, copy typing, data processing and copywritin­g.

The most popular project types awarded to Malaysians in the last 12 months are graphic design, PHP, Data Entry, Software Architectu­re, Excel, Translatio­n, Mobile Phone, Android, and Logo Design.

 ??  ?? Businesses such as Uber,Airbnb, and Freelancer.com and profession­als from across the world are jumping into the business of gig or shared economy that allows freedom, flexibilit­y and a whole new set of work options. — AFP photo
Businesses such as Uber,Airbnb, and Freelancer.com and profession­als from across the world are jumping into the business of gig or shared economy that allows freedom, flexibilit­y and a whole new set of work options. — AFP photo

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