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April 11, 2018
Time to jump on the gig economy band wagon!
Working the same old nine to five job year after year is not for everyone. In today’s employment market, contracting jobs are becoming all the rage.
While in the past a permanent contract was the be all and end all for most people, nowadays we are seeing a real shift towards contract work, for the freedoms and great opportunities it allows.
The influx of Generation X, Y and soon Z workers into the jobs market during the last 20 years has acted to influence this shift towards contracting jobs, as has the needs and requirements of business and industry.
Unlike their baby boomer predecessors, the aforementioned generations have brought a new desire to be the masters of their own destinies, and this includes the employment opportunities they undertake to the work/life balance they enjoy.
From a company perspective, the need for specialised skill-sets at specific intervals has increased in recent times, and all of this has combined to boost the quantity of contracting job opportunities on offer today.
In Ireland alone, the contracting job market grew by a whopping 43 per cent between 2011 and 2016, with 120,000 contracting job assignments in the latter year alone.
This trend is not unique to Ireland and can be seen internationally. It is predicted that 40 per cent of the entire US workforce will be made up of contract workers by 2020.
Ireland appears to be heading in a similar direction, meaning the ideal time to jump on the gig economy band wagon is now.
Some of you may feel nervous about making the move from permanent to contract jobs, and this is where we at HERO come in. We are here to help by talking you through the benefits of permanent versus contracting job opportunities.
The good news is that there has never been a better time to make the move to a contracting job. With more than €3bn in capital investment underway in the Irish biopharma industry, and a projected growth of 8,000 jobs from 2016 to 2020, there has never been more exciting and rewarding contracting opportunities as there is today.
Added to this, a recent IBEC survey revealed serious shortages in the engineering and IT sectors. This has led to the Government pledging to increase employment in these sectors by 18 per cent by 2020. This means more and more contracting jobs in engineering, validation, automation and ICT.
Many people believe those who take on contract work have been forced to do so because they have been unable to find full-time employment, but the reality is far different.
A MBO Partners’ report published in 2017 – ‘The State of Independence in America’ – found that almost two-thirds of gig workers actually chose to work independently, with nearly eight in 10 surveyed declaring themselves happier with the flexibility and control that contracting job opportunities brings.
Another misconception is that gig economy work is dominated by people lacking higher level education and un-skilled workers, leading to low rates of pay. This, in fact, could not be further from the truth.
Professional, highly skilled workers make up much of the gig economy workforce, and many of the skills they provide are in high demand, meaning they can be incredibly rewarding from a monetary point of view.
Many gig economy workers possess niche skill-sets that are of great value to today’s employers, meaning they are never short on contracting job opportunities.
One of the commonly listed ‘negatives’ associated with contracting is that the worker never knows when or where their next opportunity will come from. However, the reality is that a good contractor will always be busy regardless of the market, as contracting jobs in skilled areas are abundant.
In the current market, skilled contractors have multiple contracting job opportunities in Ireland to transition into at the end of each term of employment.
The possibilities include: A contract extension with the current client; a contract with another client; converting to a staff role with the client; taking a break before taking on the next contract.
Are you looking for a change from your current staff/permanent role, or would like to know more about contracting job opportunities in Ireland? Are you looking for new opportunities but do not know how best to find them?
To discover the range of opportunities that HERO Contracting has to offer, visit www.hero.ie today or call me for a chat on (086) 8395531.
My name is Caroline Kingston from HERO Recruitment, and I am available to speak with you about contracting jobs in Ireland, if you are open to exploring this exciting new avenue.
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