Talking about the "freelance revolution" like the authors of the renowned Forbes magazine still seems a bit exaggerated to us. But the fact is that freelancers are becoming increasingly important for our industry. And we're not talking about frustrated ex-employees who might no longer have a chance elsewhere, or who have even set up their own business out of necessity - quite the opposite: the vast majority have made a conscious decision to go freelance and are happy with their work, their work-life balance and their income, say two-thirds of U.S. freelancers, for example. In Germany, as many as 90 percent say they are satisfied or even very satisfied with their role as a freelancer. Freelancers value the greatest possible independence and flexible working. No wonder more and more experts can imagine working "freelance" in the future.
Free, free ... Set Hire them free
Most IT companies or IT departments now make use of the know-how of freelancers. According to the IDG study "IT Freelancers 2021", 78 percent of German companies already used external IT specialists in the year in question. Why is obvious: Especially in difficult economic times like we are currently experiencing, they are an attractive option for cost-conscious companies. Freelancers work on a contract basis and for a limited period of time, do not incur social security contributions or vacation, and ultimately are paid only for what counts: Performance, i.e. the hours worked. Their specialized expertise is usually available within a very short time and without lengthy and expensive onboarding processes, and they offer clients maximum flexibility.
The pandemic has given this an extra boost, as geographic or time boundaries have become almost completely irrelevant in many companies. People can work from wherever it suits them best. Thus, "[...] the distinction between employees working remotely and freelancers has become less and less obvious and even less relevant," states the author of the Forbes article mentioned above, quite rightly. The hurdle to hiring freelancers has dropped significantly further thanks to "remote" - they are increasingly a natural part of the team.
Those companies that deliberately build a flexible, mixed workforce of permanent employees and freelancers seem to be particularly successful. Most major players in the IT world obviously rely heavily on mixed project teams - now 73 percent of all U.S. tech companies. In the States, therefore, a huge market has already formed in the placement of freelancers and entire freelance teams in particular.
IT freelancing in Germany
In Germany, things are not quite as far advanced yet, and here you can and should rely first and foremost on the expertise of IT staffing providers such as GECO. However, the market is on the move, demand continues to rise - and freelancers have become not only a sensible alternative for more and more companies, but really important. A look at the facts alone shows that: There are around 1.5 million freelancers in Germany - around 12 percent of them, or about 180,000, work in the IT sector. And 60 percent work in a home office.
Highly motivated, experienced - and worth their money
Freelancers bring companies a whole range of other advantages in addition to the cost aspects mentioned at the beginning:
- They enable short-term and flexible planning,
- they are (usually, but not always) quickly available and literally work on their own,
- they enrich with their experience and bring very specific expert know-how that can be used for specific projects,
- and convince with high work motivation and reliability. On the one hand, this is already due to the time limit - after all, the project wants to be completed successfully. On the other hand, it is also in their own interest, because they naturally want to be engaged again or recommended to others.
So much for the most common clichés. And perhaps the biggest prejudice: Of course freelancers cost good money. At currently 96 euros an hour, they earn on average about twice as much as their permanent colleagues in Germany. But on the one hand, they bear various costs themselves that would otherwise have been incurred by the company. And on the other hand, they deliver valuable expertise on the spot and have highly specific qualifications. As a result, they are generally worth their money - and certainly pay off for companies on the bottom line.
Winning the best freelancers
That's why we're not the only ones who are convinced that, in view of the worsening shortage of skilled workers, IT has no future without freelancers. If you're wondering how to attract the best talent to your company in the competition for freelancers, you should read our blog post from September. In summary, in addition to an attractive fee, home office option and other individual benefits, we recommend above all the most forward-looking project and personnel planning possible. After all, freelancers also want planning security. In addition, most freelancers want a long-term collaboration.
We know what makes freelancers tick - and what they want.
Our conclusion: Freelancers are already the "self-supporting backbone" of our industry and want to be courted and valued. How good that we, as a leading IT staffing agency, have filled our database well with successful freelancers. With freelance experts who have already been able not only to prove their skills through our projects, but above all to expand them. And we also have the right experts for your projects in our network: candidates pre-qualified by us with great, guaranteed expertise from past projects. And if it should not fit with a cooperation, we will fill the position. We are happy to advise you and look forward to hearing from you!
Are you a freelancer looking for exciting, lucrative new projects with well-known companies or public clients? We offer interesting major projects from public tenders (e.g. from the Federal Government) or with medium-sized and Dax companies. We provide you with planning security through our multi-layered projects. And we can even offer you international development through our locations in the USA and the UK! Push your career - and become part of our team now.