The way we are working in New Zealand is beginning to change as a consequence to the global Covid19 pandemic.
Almost overnight New Zealand businesses of all size hard to quickly adapt to working remotely out of the office. Many businesses either did not have the infrastructure or capability in place to allow all their employees to digitally collaborate and work remotely without impacting their jobs.
Post Covid19, New Zealand businesses will begin to ensure their remote working capabilities are operational and scalable to their workforce demands. But also their mind-set as to how and who they employ to complete work tasks has shifted.
The conventional approach for most NZ businesses is to employ a fulltime employee in a permanent job. They are broadly skilled in the majority of work functions expected of them. The value a freelancer, contractor or gig worker can add to a business is specialist high quality skills in their specific field.
The GFC brought rise to the gig economy in the US and Europe, the change in workplace behaviour was largely unseen in New Zealand. But Covid19 has hit NZ harder than the GFC and with the gradual trend towards freelancing and contracting increasing among kiwi workers, the opportunity for kiwi businesses to utilise this large pool of highly skilled talent is very real now.
So what is the difference between a freelancer, a contractor and a gig worker?
The simple answer is the field in which they work and how the work is completed.
The term contractor is largely used within civil construction, corporate jobs and IT contractors.
Freelancers are more of the creative side, or digital web developers (also referred to as IT contractors).
The main difference between a freelancer and contractor is how the work is measured or completed.
Freelancers are outcome based orientated, ie work is paid when satisfactory completed. Whereas contractors are generally paid per time ie hourly/daily rate usually on a 3, 6, 12 month contract.
Freelancers are given work assignments to complete eg web designer is asked to redesign a clients website UI/UX. Or a web developer builds a new website for a customer.
Contractors could include a civil construction worker to help build new infrastructure on roads in Auckland for 6 months. Or a Network Cyber Security Consultant to work a 3 month contract setting up new Internet, wifi & firewalling at a Corporate NZ business in Wellington.
A gig worker is another term for freelancer, or someone operating in the gig economy.
To find these workers has usually been through a combination of recruitment agencies in NZ, Jobsite platforms listings contract jobs. Or freelance gig economy platforms where businesses can find and hire freelancers for specific jobs or gigs then need completing.
Gigexchange has created a unique job platform where NZ businesses can come to one convenient location and find freelancers and contractors together. Specific work tasks needing completed can be listed on the gigs section of the platform to find the perfect kiwi freelancer. The jobs section caters for permanent and contract jobs, to allow you to find and hire the contractors you need to complete the jobs available in New Zealand.
Why are more kiwi workers becoming freelancers or contractors? The main reasons involve flexibility and choice of work. Working remotely and associated lifestyle. The pay is usually good and freelancers and contractors are usually experts in their chosen field.
The downsides are no job security, managing taxes and financials, constant job hunting to ensure the next gig is lined up. Covid19 has highlighted the risk with freelancing and contracting in New Zealand, as many (our Founder included) lost their contract jobs and gigs. So it is important to mitigate this by leaving finances aside to cover 1-3 months of no working at best. Easier said than done…
So who are these freelancers and contractors? Where are all the freelancing jobs in NZ?
Popular freelancing work in NZ includes
Copywriters
Graphic designers – UI/UX becoming especially important
Software Engineers & Programmers
Web developers – increasing important they can be IOS and Android developers.
Content creators for branding and social media are in hot demand all across New Zealand. These can be digital graphic designer creators, photographers, videographers, Animators (2D/3D), translators…The list goes on.
One of the challenges businesses have had in the past when hiring freelancers and contractors is on boarding. Covid19 has accelerated the business processes of remote working and remote on boarding of contractors and freelancers. No longer having a distributed workforce, digitally collaborating is such a scary proposition anymore.
This change in behaviour and mind-set from business opens up a much wider pool of talent to choose from. No longer does a business in Auckland have to stipulate the worker must be living in Auckland. Many freelancers work and live remotely in New Zealand as a lifestyle choice. This helps the regions of NZ economically, but a greater distribution of workers outside of Auckland, Wellington & Christchurch is great for the New Zealand economy as a whole. The term digital nomad has gained popularity in recent times. This is a freelancer or contractor who is able to complete their work (usually website design, website development, digital marketing, creative freelancing) remotely. Be that the remote regions around NZ or overseas. As long as they are connected to the internet, work can be completed.
At the gigexchange, we are New Zealand’s fastest growing freelance job platform. We have a growing list of freelancers within New Zealand signing up daily.
The registration process is completely automated and to begin applying for gigs, we make it a requisite that your identity is verified by Stripe, so our customers can gain trust in the fact you are validated.
As the gig work comes in, Freelancers all across New Zealand can apply for the work. Unless the work has been specified as being local to a specific area, any freelancer can remotely apply. Freelance work in NZ leads itself to remote work, so living and working in the regions of New Zealand is commonplace and popular for NZ based freelancers. It means they can escape the expensive house prices in Auckland & Wellington, but is also great for distributing the new workforce and promoting regional economies as most freelancers are highly skilled and well paid.
We want to ensure we dont drive down local NZ freelance prices, so created 2 gig listing options. Fixed price, or negotiable. If the fixed price doesn’t work for you, don’t apply. If the negotiable is near price point, you can apply and negotiate the rate and scope of work in our private chat portal. Think of it a digital negotiation, the same as would happen over the phone or face to face. The platform just provides a convenient locations for NZ businesses to find and hire New Zealand freelancers. The ratings and review allows freelancers to gain new work as and when they choose. The promote section allows the freelancer to advertise their freelance service to NZ businesses, all for free. The work they complete on the freelance gig economy section validates them when they advertise through us. Another benefit of using the platform.
The freelance gig economy fees we charge the gig worker are the lowest of all the freelancer gig economy platforms on the internet as gigexchange was founded and developed by NZ freelancer gig workers of the New Zealand gig economy. We understand and we care, so we will only charge the fairest price we possibly can to have a viable business, but also improve work opportunities for New Zealand freelancers, contractors and gig workers.
Empowering the win-win is our purpose. If we can drive down the costs of gig worker commission, so more money is left in our back pockets, whilst increasing work opportunities at the same time, we have achieved our purpose to empowering the freelancer win.