With the rise of gig jobs, gig workers and technology, a scalable variable workforce should be the new normal for businesses now.

You wake up, have breakfast, and start to get ready for work. You fire up your laptop and look at your priorities for the day (or the week) and begin working. Maybe you’ll go out to meet a client. Later, at 9pm, you jump in a call with a client to catch them on their day working hours.

A decade ago, this kind of work day is rare; while freelancing and gig work has been around for a while, it was only in recent years that it has become noticeably prevalent.

The accessibility of technology, the changing skills sets, the workforce demographic shifts, as well as globalisation has contributed to the rapid growth of the gig economy in previous years. In Asia Pacific, for example, 84 per cent of hiring managers are hiring gig workers.

Also read: Smart outsourcing means hiring partners without losing your core brand identity

The way that companies work is changing. Instead of hiring full time employees to do the work, there is now the option of breaking it down into projects (or gigs) that they can outsource. Startups, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs), contribute to this growth. With the continuing digitalisation of SMEs and the rise of tech startups, talent in specialised fields such as IT, data science, marketing, and design are very much needed by these companies.

The problem now is where to find these gig workers.

Traditionally, companies searched for gig workers the way they would search for direct hires. They would search for the talent that they need, filter through candidates, and finally choose who they think fits their requirements. This consumes a lot of time and resources – something that the company may not have.

 

Resource (or lack of it) as a company’s main driver

Imagine you’re a SME owner wanting to develop a digital platform for your services. One of the main issue you will face is the availability of resources.

As a SME, it’s possible that you do not have enough resources to permanently hire developers. It’s also possible that your finances may be healthy enough to hire developers to build the said platform, but once it’s built there’s nothing else for them to do and you end up paying for underutilised talent.

A more likely scenario is you having enough resources to get developers to build your platform, but not enough to permanently hire them. That’s why outsourcing projects to gig workers is popular for SMEs and startups – it gets things done without the company worrying about spending too much money or about under utilising talent.

 

An end-to-end platform for finding gig workers (aka self-employed professionals)

ZomWork is an online gig work platform that provides a safe, efficient, and easy tool for businesses and talents to connect, collaborate, and deliver projects faster. They strive to help businesses find the right talent they need to grow their business.

Companies who wish to outsource their projects can browse through suitable and reliable service providers on the site, compare portfolios and pricing, communicate with their chosen talent, and contract them to do the project all without leaving the ZomWork platform. No need to post announcements in public spaces on the off-chance that someone with their required skills would see – they already have access to a list of vetted gig workers with the skills and experience that they need.

But more than just a marketplace, ZomWork also gives companies the tools to not only communicate with their hired talent, but also manage and keep track of the progress of the project using the “Your Workspace” feature.

Also read: Understanding how/what to outsource: What makes the most sense

ZomWork also ensures the security of both the company and the service provider. One notable feature of ZomWork is that they escrow the payment, keeping it safe until, and releasing payment only when, the project is delivered satisfactorily.

While they are hardly the only gig platform available, ZomWork stands out from other platforms because they are specifically focussed on the Singapore market. Their aim is to spearhead the growth, development, and adoption of the gig economy in the city-state.

Recently, ZomWork has launched two business arms in relation to E-commerce and AGILE lead generation. Their aim is to help companies innovate and expand without expending too much of their resources.

For instance, ZomWork E-commerce Concierge helps local retail businesses manage their online store or expand into the China market through e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Tmall Global. Other services include E-commerce big data analytics set-up as well as growth plans.

 

From permanent payroll to a scalable variable workforce

The gig economy is a new concept that not many businesses are familiar with. ZomWork aims to help facilitate that change in mindset to prepare companies to leverage on the gig economy.

Online talent platforms and digital marketplaces plays a huge role in the rapid developments in the gig economy. These platforms have facilitated direct and real-time connections between talent and companies, allowing for better skills matching.

Also read: A new normal: How WeWork is designing the future of work

These platforms have also facilitated transparency in the demand for skills, which resulted in young people making educational choices and honing specific skills to meet that demand. Such transparency have widened the spectrum of coverage of the gig economy to include experienced individuals with niche skills.

ZomWork wants to grow beyond being a gig work marketplace. They hope to achieve that by engaging and educating the community to embrace the “gig mindset” and providing them with resources to expand globally. They organise events such as The Future of Work Conference and immersion trips to engage and educate the community about the gig economy.

The idea is to help facilitate not only the connection between companies and freelancers, but also be a catalyst for companies to adapt to the changing workforce landscape. More and more people – skilled, efficient people with specialisations – are embracing freelance roles that companies need to understand how it works to be able to get the talent they need.

From being a less costly and resource-efficient alternative to direct hiring, companies should now look at outsourcing as a significant pillar to how people work. Visit the ZomWork website to get on board The Future of Work now!

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Exclusively for e27 readers, register for The Future of Work for $30 instead of the regular $50 with the promo code E2730 here now!

Disclosure: This article is produced by the e27 content marketing team, sponsored by ZomWork.

Featured image credit: Farrel Nobel on Unsplash

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