Working from home is one step towards increased freedom in our professional lives, but those who opt to become freelancers, or independent workers, take their independence one step further. They now form just over one third (35%) of the global workforce, day by day contributing to a changing landscape in the world of work. Independent working is progressing immensely, and it’s time that we all learn how it could benefit us. 

Expanding beyond the traditional workplace: defining the ‘independent workforce’

Independent working may have become increasingly popular in recent years, but it certainly isn’t a new phenomenon. The first written evidence for ‘freelance’ dates back to the early 1800s, when the term was used to describe a medieval mercenary who would fight for whichever nation or person offered the highest pay. Historians have even found evidence of freelance-style soldiers being hired for major military campaigns between the 12th and 14th centuries, demonstrating that project-based work is far from a 21st century invention.

Today’s independent workers may look quite different to those almost a thousand years ago, but the two groups share some commonalities. Today’s independent workers are hired on project-based contracts, offering a specific skill to an individual or business who requires it on an ad-hoc basis. Freelance soldiers all those years ago operated on the same principle – employing their military skills for the business of warfare.

The concept of an independent workforce is often usurped by the term freelancer in popular usage, but the two terms have a subtle, yet important, difference. The dictionary definition of freelance is: ‘doing particular pieces of work for different organisations, rather than working all the time for a single organisation’. This term lacks specificity, and disregards the significant contributions of those who partake in the independent workforce as a side-hustle, or those who work regularly for a single organisation within their independent career, as well as working for other businesses simultaneously. The independent workforce as a descriptor provides more context for this hugely significant sector of our economy, encompassing everyone from those working on extra projects in their downtime as a supplementary income to those for whom being an independent worker is a full-time gig.

Taking the leap and exploring your true passion

Traditional workplaces can stifle creativity. We’ve all heard the narratives around being stuck in a 9-5 that isn’t at all fulfilling, which is a sad reality when we consider that the average person spends one third of their waking life at work. We are all taught that climbing the corporate ladder is the number one priority in one’s journey to fulfillment, yet there are often many barriers associated with this. Traditional jobs can lack flexibility, with a shortage of opportunities to express your own ideas and creative side. Becoming an independent worker allows for people to test more opportunities and feel less constrained by adhering to one company's business needs.

The most obvious advantage to taking the leap and going self-employed is the opportunity to work wherever and whenever. This is attractive for many of us, but especially for those who need to fit their work around their lifestyle. In addition to this, it is important that we consider the flexibility associated with the content of the work itself, not just how and where we do it. Becoming an independent worker can give you the opportunity to work on a much wider variety of projects in different areas, in turn giving workers the chance to learn new skills and network with a broader range of people. And, admin responsibilities give an opportunity to broaden one’s transferable skills, such as learning about finance, project management and marketing in a way that wouldn’t be possible in a traditional workplace.

Adding value to business operations

Almost half of businesses now employ independent workers. The lifestyle is not only attractive for the workers themselves, but for the businesses who employ them on a project to project basis, with businesses as large as Google relying upon contractors for a large proportion of their activities.

Independent workers can offer specialized skills that are useful during a specific period or on a particular project, enabling businesses to select the best person for the individual job. This is often much more cost effective than hiring such employees on a longer-term basis, as their skills may not be suited to the business’ everyday operations. Additionally, independent workers tend to require a lower level of supervision, being experts in their own field and working hard to fulfil contracts on time. When these benefits are combined with the widening availability of platforms, tools, and apps to act as a catalyst between independent workers and companies, the opportunities are endless.

The global self professional platform market size is projected to increase by 15.3% between 2021 and 2026, providing even more opportunities and support to workers that want to go independent. If you opt to take up this lifestyle, you can be sure to expect a work life that fits around your personal life, with opportunities to travel and work from anywhere in the world, as well as hours that are more suited to your other hobbies or responsibilities. Becoming an independent worker also opens up endless opportunities to explore your creativity and learn new skills, free from the restraints of the traditional workplace. Joining the independent workforce therefore both represents freedom and opportunity; are you ready to get involved?