Your Guide to Finding & Managing Freelancers, Contractors and Consultants

The world of work has changed. The traditional relationship between employer and employee is evolving as technology, globalization, and regulations disrupt the labor market. The most dramatic shift has been the rise of the freelance economy, which currently includes 17.7 million independent workers, and is expected to grow to 24 million by 2018 in the United States alone (MBO Partners, The State of Independence in America). With a new pool of talent available on
an on-demand basis, businesses are rapidly shifting to an extended workforce model as freelancers continue to augment full-time employees.

One of the most notable trends in the growing freelance economy is the growth of onsite/local workers. This is particularly true in industries such as IT and tech services, retail merchandising, experiential marketing, digital signage, medical device service, and facilities management, where a physical presence is required to complete an assignment. While these positions may once have been filled internally, global advisor firm Stang Industry Analysts predicts that by
2020 over $15.5 billion of this work will go to independent freelancers (Karpie, ‘Online Stang’ Platform Businesses). The reasons why are clear. By using an extended workforce, businesses can be managed more profitably by tapping into extraordinary talent on an as-needed basis.