In this podcast Jo Attard speaks with 2UE Talking Lifestyle Radio’s Tim Webster & Suzy Yates about how short term employment may be the way to go especially if you’re a retiree looking to get back into the workforce.
It is increasingly rare to stay in one job or career throughout your working life. In fact, a large number of people are trading traditional long term careers for a series of freelance roles, often across different industries.
The “Gig Economy” is a term used to describe the influx of short-term contracts and freelance work for everyone, from Uber drivers to highly qualified professionals.
It is a way of working that is fast taking over the job market. By 2022, over a quarter of all Australian work is projected to be in freelancing and external contracting. As well as platforms like Freelancer.com and Fiver.com there are recruitment agencies like Watermark Search International that now specialise in interim executive placements.
Key topics covered in this podcast interview:
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- Understanding the gig economy.
- How senior workers are benefiting from temporary roles.
- Your entitlements and benefits as a short-term worker.
- How and where to find regular jobs as a freelancer or temp specialist.
- Building a career out of freelance work.
- Marketing yourself as a personal business.
- Why retirement is effectively dead and being replaced by temporary gigs.
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Read the transcript
Tim Webster:
Well Suzy, we’re continually being told that work has changed. I think we all agree with that, don’t we?
Suzy Yates:
It sure has.
Tim Webster:
It sure has. No longer can you expect that you might have one job for life, or even the same career for life. And I’m one of those extraordinarily lucky people who loves what he does, and have done it for a very long time, in fact 45 years. But that’s really an exception, not a norm. So we need to adapt, changing times, don’t we?
One of the major changes, introduction of the “Gig economy”. And you’re asking, what’s that? We’re glad you asked. We got Jo Attard, from PeopleEdge Coaching and Consulting on the line. Hey Jo.
Jo Attard:
Hi Tim, how are you?
Tim Webster:
Good. Explain, what’s the Gig economy?
Jo Attard:
Yeah well the Gig economy’s a relatively new term, which is used to describe a workforce where there’s a prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs. And as you’ve just mentioned, we used to have one or two jobs for life, and look for permanent roles, as well as certainly encouraged to seek out security. Security doesn’t really exist anymore, certainly not to the same extent. So this has really become quite a burgeoning market.
Suzy Yates:
Well it’s a bit like those temp jobs. Because a temp job used to be what you did between jobs when you were looking for your next permanent job, but it sounds like a lot of the workforce are now doing temp jobs as their career. Is that how … Is that what you found?
Jo Attard:
Yes, absolutely. And people are having two or three temp jobs concurrently. They’re working two or three jobs at the same time. And it really can now be anything from what was known as a temp job previously, as you’ve just mentioned, to what’s more executive contracting or even interim executive as it’s now known. So even people who have been in rather senior roles, are opting to move out of what we call corporate, full-time, permanent life, and into more of an interim type executive role, so they can be more of a master of their own destiny. So this is really a very good option, as long as it’s managed well, I think is the thing.
Tim Webster:
Yeah, I’m just thinking, in an executive sense, that’s interesting. A short-term contract. But how quickly would they get to know the business and be able to help, I’m thinking? You know?
Jo Attard:
Yeah, well you do need to be on top of your game, and you need to be very much involved in your industry and in the sector that you’re looking to work in. And to do that, you’ve really got to be able to hit the ground running. I think that’s the key. You don’t get that couple of months to get your head around how things work, so you’ve really go to be very proactive in keeping everything up to speed, up to date, and making sure that you’re at the top of your game. And your networks will always help you in that regard as well.
Suzy Yates:
Our number is 13 12 83, talking about the changing face of work this morning. So if you’ve found that this has happened for you, give us a call. 13 12 83. Have you had to go from being in long-term, full time employment, to short stints of work, and does it suit you better? So Jo, it says in the U.S., this was in 2015, 29% of the workers did this sort of work. Are we far behind that?
Jo Attard:
Yeah, we’re very much following the U.S. and the European trends. In 2016, we were about 16% of [crosstalk 00:03:38]-
Suzy Yates:
Well that’s a big chunk of the workforce, isn’t it?
Jo Attard:
It is, yeah, and we’re expected to double that by 2022. So that is something that is, we’re certainly jumping at.
Tim Webster:
I’m wondering who benefits the most. A short-term contract I’m sure would mean no annual leave, no super, those sort of things afforded to full time workers. Now that’s a benefit to the company, and if you’re getting enough of them I suppose, it’s a benefit to you. So cuts both ways I guess, Jo.
Jo Attard:
Yes, it does. I suppose it … As far as the annual leave and other benefits go, it depends on your arrangement and the contractual terms, and there are a number of ways that people are engaged through, for this type of work. And if you’re engaged through what’s now been a really big growth area is the growth of the old recruitment firm, which is still in existence, but there are more and more executive and interim recruitment practices, which will obviously pay a daily rate or an hourly rate, and they will build in an amount to cover off the additional benefits. So you do still get that.
But there are others, such as things like Freelancer.com, Airtasker, I think you’ve probably heard of, who … And also things like Gumtree Jobs, where you really have to set your own rate, and so you need to be really careful and get some really good advice as to what you should include in your rate, to cover off those additional amounts.
Suzy Yates:
With places like Freelancer.com, which I believe is one of the better websites for finding temporary work, can you build a career out of that? Can you get enough work? This is my concern is, where do these jobs and contracts come from, for somebody who’s decided to be a temporary worker?
Jo Attard:
Yeah, I think if you want to go down to Freelancer, and there’s another organisation called Fiverr.com too, who are, I suppose, on par with Freelancer, you really need to set yourself up as a business, and you need to market yourself as part of that, which sounds a bit scary, but once you get into the role of it, it’s not too bad, because you do get your regular clients who keep coming back to you, like any business. If you’re good at it, people will come back. So that’s one good way.
If you’re looking to jump into this market though, you’re better off to do it through … And to see whether it actually suits you, better off to engage with a really good recruiter. And I’m not making a plug here, but there is an organisation that I know has specialised in this practice, and they’re called WaterMark.
Tim Webster:
Oh I know of them, yeah.
Jo Attard:
Yeah. Well they’ve now actually got an interim practice. They’ve been around for a long time. And they are very proactive in that market, and so that’s a really good way to see whether or not it’s actually going to work for you, before you actually do jump out and set up yourself to do the Freelancer or Fiverr or Airtasker thing.
Tim Webster:
Yes. Now this is a pretty good idea, and it’s just occurred to me, a lot of the fellows I used to play golf with, they theoretically retired, and then went back as troubleshooters, like half a day a week, a day a week, maybe two days a week. A, I suppose to earn some extra money, they never thought of it that way, but also to keep active. And if you’re good enough, you’re probably gonna find work all of the time, aren’t you?
Jo Attard:
Absolutely, yeah. And I think retirement’s dead, for many of us. I think-
Tim Webster:
No such thing.
Jo Attard:
Number one, it’s pretty expensive to live. But the other thing is, we are younger for a lot longer. So we want to be able to fund a lifestyle. We want to build a portfolio of work. We want to keep active. We want to keep our minds active. We’re told how important that is. This allows us to build in free time to our lifestyle, and to still play golf and do the things that you love to do, but also keep engaged. And i think that having a purpose and engagement’s really, really important.
Tim Webster:
Yeah and for younger people, you can organize your life. Let’s say you’ve got a three-month contract with someone, you know how much that’s gonna be, then you can take your two or three weeks off, come back and get another one later in the year. Makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways, doesn’t it?
Jo Attard:
It does, yeah. And I know very successful people who have now moved out of businesses that they’ve had in the past, and now build into the year six months of work and six months of travel.
Suzy Yates:
Very smart.
Jo Attard:
I could think of many, or not too many nicer ways to spend your life.
Suzy Yates:
Sounds great.
Tim Webster:
Yeah. Sounds okay to me.
Suzy Yates:
Thank you, Jo.
Tim Webster:
Thanks, Jo.
Suzy Yates:
Lovely to have you on the show. And Jo is with PeopleEdge.com.au.
ENDS.