3 Ways Freelancers Solve the Skills Gap

I watch Nightly Business Report, well, every night. The skills gap is a recurrent story (usually occurring with the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics summary).

According to this narrative, there are millions of unfilled jobs, and the U.S. is at (or near) full unemployment. A full employment economy that leaves millions of labor-intensive jobs unfilled creates an endless cycle of slow growth and even the potential for stagflation. Worker productivity will not keep up with demand, leading to less output.

There is an often-ignored or under-reported solution in these news stories. There is a vibrant network of highly experienced and dependable workers who have the skills businesses need. Like any number of superheroes in the shadows, the unsung heroes of this slow-growing expansion are consultants, freelancers, and gig workers (although I don't like that last term). Since 2009, freelancers have filled the skills gap. A major benefit for businesses is lower overhead (e.g. no need to pay out benefits, train/onboard, or relocate). Even when paying a freelancer's top rate, the business owner or creative services manager saves money.

Even when paying a freelancer's top rate, the business owner or creative services manager saves money.

If you have an unfilled job, here are three scenarios where hiring a freelancer helps your company:

Problem: The Intensive Market Research Project

Let's say you have a project that does not have a definable market. You need someone to research multiple market data streams, create a convincing argument, write the document, and then make it presentation-ready. It not only requires research and writing skills, it takes critical thinking and intuition.

Solution: Experienced Freelancer!

The learning curve to teach a new hire how to do the kind of project described above takes months of training ... in order for the project to be delivered as-promised and as-described. I trained 20+ people to do similar work, and the vast majority took at least one month before they were ready. My years of being "battle-tested" means I need much less time to research, write, and edit a project. Like Al Pacino's character Vincent Hanna in the movie Heat, "I've worked all kinds."

Problem: Overwhelmed New Hire

Let's say you go ahead and hire someone new. Your manager sends you a project that needs a lot of attention, but your new hire would also have a dozen of other priorities from your department and others. This project is time sensitive and meant to be the centerpiece of a campaign.

Solution: Versatile Freelancer!

Many freelancers (like myself) can tune and adjust their schedules to accommodate quick turnarounds for time-intensive projects. Freelancers also excel at working on months-long endeavors that require regular progress reports. I recently spent a month creating B2C product descriptions. I followed that project by turning around a print ad for a trade publication during the course of one day.

Problem: Employee Quits

Near-full employment means a well-trained employee can jump ship and work for someone else. This is hard for me to fathom, having first been a worker during the "last hired, first fired" era, then the "hold onto your job at all costs" era. But it's part of the business cycle, and it's a sign of health, although it understandably causes stress for hiring managers and department heads.

Solution: Dependable Freelancer!

Freelancers, especially ones you work with regularly, offer a buffer of reliability. We have to be more highly responsive than anyone else, because many of us work with repeat clients, and our reputation is made (or broken) on our reliability.

If you're a business and you're unsure of macroeconomic factors that will impact your hiring schedule, then get in touch with a freelancer. You can fill orders, meet deadlines, enhance your revenue, and keep the economy moving.

Interested in learning more about copywriters and content strategists? You can contact me here: Enlighten Writing.