FREELANCER VISAS WILL OPEN UP TALENT POOL
Initiative will help UAE’s private sector better manage their human resource costs in light of pandemic challenges. Access to a larger pool of workers could also impact salary packages |
Widening the scope of the UAE’s freelance visas will open up more opportunities for talent — and also help local businesses better manage their workforce costs, according to industry sources. This could have an immeasurable impact on future salary and rewards structures for employees as easy availability of freelancers creates options for organisations.
“A bigger talent pool helps companies control costs by stopping unsustainable salary rises,” said Vijay Gandhi, regional Director at Korn Ferry, the specialist HR consultancy. “Or it can be a company that is unwilling to commit to full-time workers and wants to stay flexible. The increasingly mobile workforce means individual staffers may not be retained in the long-term.”
Some of this emerging trend is already happening in the local tech projects and in advertising, the two categories that took to freelancers and independent contractors in a big way. Yesterday, the UAE confirmed it will add more features to the freelancer visa status, which could then lead the way to more skill sets becoming available in the freelancer pool. “Depending on the experience and background, companies definitely need freelancing services to cover maternity leaves, illnesses, increased workloads or a specialised skill that is needed on a short-term basis,” said Gandhi.