What was most interesting about the article was that if found freelancers were also generally better at planning for the future of work than their W-2 counterparts. Here are just a few of the reasons why freelancing is the way to go amidst changing industries.
There is money to be made.
My roots are that of a personal finance blogger so obviously, I need to talk money. I also have a background as a recruiter so I have some insight as to what some trends may mean.
For example, the number of freelancers in the U.S. has jumped by over 8 percent in the last three years. According to stats, freelancers will be the majority by 2027.
My recruiter hat tells me two things. One, people feel comfortable enough to quit their jobs to freelance. Two, usually that means there’s money to be made. In this case, it could be that companies are more comfortable hiring freelancers and consultants than they previously were.
Based on my own observations as a freelancer and living in that space, I would venture to say both are true.
So what does this mean? It means if you want to make money, you need to jump on the future of work. If this research is any indication of what that may look like, then freelancing may be an option for you.
Freelancers are better at preparing for changes.
One of the reasons freelancing is the future of work is because freelancers are much better at preparing for said future.
This particular Fast Company article pointed out how nearly half of freelancers already see the impacts of AI changing the workforce. This is in contrast to only 18% of the regularly employed.
In other words, freelancers know what’s coming. Since they know what’s coming they can better prepare. Meanwhile, those who are traditionally employed may be in for a rude awakening down the road.
Again, based on my own experience freelancing, I would say this is also true. My colleagues and I already have conversations about how to prepare ourselves for the future of work. More specifically, we’re preparing our businesses for the impact AI may have on our work.
Freelancing may be less impacted by AI.
The last thing the article pointed out really fascinated me. According to the founder of LinkedIn, freelancing gives people a certain advantage when it comes to the threat of AI – they are in direct contact with the companies they work for. In other words, they build relationships and their knowledge base – two things AI can never take from them.
There is a caveat to this. For example, AI could probably replace my skill as a writer. However, it can’t replace my brain and expertise for consulting. It also can’t build influence like I have.
Even if that were the case, freelancers are on the front-lines of these trends. The bottom line is freelancers know how to adjust for the future of work and may play a huge role in ushering it in.
