Small business owners looking to gain a competitive edge and increase the talent level at their disposal are tapping into the freelance workforce with greater frequency. Because of past success with using freelancers, more than seventy percent of business owners said they would continue to use freelance workers in all areas of their business, including critical situations, according to a recent survey by Elance.
Elance CEO, Fabio Rosati observes, “The ability to hire the best available person online and on-demand is becoming an essential strategy for agile businesses of all sizes.”
Of the business owners Elance surveyed, almost fifty percent hired freelancing personnel to work in both new market expansion and to spearhead or to contribute on other projects. Almost 90 percent said that hiring freelancers delivered a significant competitive advantage.
While the increased demand for freelance workers has triggered a rise in wages in this talent pool, small business owners believe that the skills and abilities of freelance employees are comparable to those of their in-house personnel, even in such demanding fields as engineering, mathematics, the sciences, and technology-focused disciplines.
Reference:
Mielach, David. “Small Businesses Rely on Freelancers to Close Skills Gap,” Business News Daily, August 21, 2013.
