In case you haven’t noticed, we’re living (and working) in a ‘gig economy’ culture where temporary jobs and freelance work are more prevalent than ever. With the rise of platforms like Fiverr and People Per Hour, it’s now far easier for freelancers to connect with clients in need of their services and vice versa.

As a freelancer, the perks of this need no clarification but the benefits that outsourcing freelance work provide for business owners still seem to require further explanation. That’s where we come in…

The benefits of using freelancers:

When growing a business, it can be tempting to believe you need to recruit a whole network of departments around your core staff in order to appear credible or perform to your full potential.

However, freelancers deliver an arsenal of attributes that your in-house workforce probably can’t.

Flexibility

By their nature, freelancers are more… free and this increased flexibility can be used to the advantage of most businesses – particularly those operating 9-5. While full time staff are free to leave at 5pm, the autonomous structure of freelance working hours means your business could potentially operate around the clock.

Things like website development could be done outside of regular office hours so as not to disrupt output, especially if you work with freelancers in different time zones.

More specific skills

As well as offering plenty of wiggle room around working hours, outsourcing to freelancers also means you can hone in on the skill set you really need. When recruiting for full time roles, you’re often looking for employees who do a variety of things well. With freelancers, you are afforded the luxury of a specific specialism and expertise in that area.

Cost-effective

Two of the most important things when it comes to the bottom line of business is time and money. We’ve covered the time-saving advantages of freelancers so now it’s time to show how it could also help you cut down costs.

Through working remotely, freelancers provide you with no overheads meaning you can keep your office size and subsequent rates to a minimum. Freelancers will also typically take responsibility for their own health benefits, insurance and training which could potentially save you thousands of pounds every year.

Plus, you can pay per project and avoid the financial commitment of an annual salary.

Learn from them

Outsourcing to freelancers also brings with it the chance to learn from their diverse experience and close proximity to new processes and technologies. In order to stay ahead in an incredibly competitive marketplace, freelancers are often extremely tech-savvy and make a conscious effort to stay at the cutting edge of their industry.

Through working with a variety of clients, freelancers can offer a different kind of insight and knowledge that full-time employees may not have ever had access to.

So, is the future freelance? Will business owners be outsourcing more and more as the gig economy continues to grow? Share your predictions in the comments below.