Candidates, hiring managers open to freelance jobs: Survey

New Delhi: Freelance roles are on a rise in India and other Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries, as people looking for work are more likely to be seeking flexible contract-based roles than traditional permanent full-time roles, says a survey.

According to a survey by Kelly Services, 39 per cent of the surveyed candidates and hiring managers in India are open to freelance roles.

Among other APAC countries, 55 per cent of those surveyed in Hong Kong are willing to work on freelance or contract jobs, while in Vietnam it is 50 per cent and in Malaysia (37 per cent).

Across APAC region, the top reason candidates prefer freelance roles is because they value flexible working. In India, besides flexible working, the other top reasons are more money and skill alignment.

The survey noted that across the region and industry, technological, demographic and market forces are driving these changes and they are more likely to accelerate than slow down.

"Employer organisations need to align to these changing times and integrate contingent workforce strategies into their hiring models.

A well-planned talent strategy that has the best of different models of talent engagement will give companies the competitive advantage," said Thammaiah BN, Managing Director, Kelly Services India.

Though freelance work culture saves money and results in increased employee satisfaction and productivity, a shift away from permanent full-time roles puts workers at risk of losing their protection and entitlement, the survey added.

Kelly conducted a quantitative research through an online survey with hiring managers and candidates between the ages of 20 to 70 years across a wide range of industries and nine regions in APAC from October to November 2017.

The survey, commissioned across Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, obtained 9,295 responses.