Lately, I’ve noticed a crucial issue that hasn’t received adequate coverage in freelance news – the potential to leverage freelancing to create a more dynamic and diverse middle class in Asia and other emerging regions. Two reports have influenced this idea, including a survey by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that analysed the job outlook for young individuals in Asia.
The youth in Asia are grappling with a broad range of issues. The young population in Asia is expected to grow in the coming years, presenting an opportunity to capitalise on the demographic dividend, but it could also act as a ticking time bomb, leading to social conflict and the mass migration of people seeking employment. Currently, approximately one in five young people in Asia are neither working nor pursuing education, a condition known as “NEET.” This trend of youth unemployment has been gradually rising since 2022, in line with global patterns. Young women and girls are disproportionately affected.
An innovative technique for teaching digital skills in Asia was featured in a recent article titled “New Approach to Teaching Digital Skills in Asia.” The study’s outcomes are particularly pertinent to youth in Asia and other emerging nations, empowering them with the skills to thrive in the constantly evolving digital environment.
In 2022, we discovered that the lack of awareness about contemporary techniques, tools, and frameworks required to build “Silicon Valley-grade” products was the main bottleneck, rather than a shortage of talent or proficiency. To address this gap in traditional education, we established Wizeline Academy, which provides advanced computer training for free. Presently, more than 30,000 students from across the world have enrolled in Wizeline Academy’s programs, and with the ease of online learning, we aim to reach a total of 60,000 students by the conclusion of 2023.
I discovered that the following context is highly valuable in demonstrating how freelancing may play a pivotal role in strengthening the digital economy in the region, providing more employment opportunities for young Asian professionals in the long term, irrespective of geographic boundaries. The World Economic Forum has also emphasised the significance of this progress.
The Asia-Pacific region faces a daunting challenge in driving economic growth, as the shortage of people with adequate digital skills has become a significant impediment. An article by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the largest global development agency focused on the private sector in developing economies and a member of the World Bank Group, indicates that by 2030, roughly 230 million jobs in the region will require digital skills, creating a potential market worth $130 billion with a potential beneficiary pool of 650 million people. The necessity for such skills has become increasingly pronounced in recent months, as the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled many enterprises to adopt a digital model as an imperative for survival.
Since 2022, we’ve witnessed a significant rise in the number of freelancing platforms in Asia, piquing our interest. This has motivated us to approach the CEO and Executive Vice President of Enterprise at Works, a well-known freelance platform for computer experts in Asia. Works was established with the goal of generating economic prospects via software expertise, similar to Wizeline’s founding story.
Software engineers are in high demand across several sectors, ranging from finance and manufacturing to rapidly expanding domains like retail, media, and health sciences. Through collaborations with major technology firms such as Google, Alphabet, Facebook, as well as institutions like the Asian Development Bank, Works has extended its range into innovative areas. Works Learning Community, for instance, has educated around 100,000 professionals on fundamental software design and development, whereas more advanced techniques, like React Native, are also taught. Additionally, Works is increasingly being sought after for delivering pre-assembled teams for high-demand initiatives like digital transformation and combining individual freelancers with in-house staff members to create blended teams. You can hire such professionals by visiting the page for software engineers.
As a freelancing platform, providing sufficiently remunerative and stimulating work for a large number of Works’ freelancers can be challenging. However, out of curiosity, we investigated whether racial prejudices had any bearing on how Works and other platforms selected freelancers. To our relief, we found that the number of Works’ placements had risen by a remarkable 60%. Furthermore, an internal survey at Works demonstrated that the platform benefits independent contractors and members of the academic community alike.
- We discovered that 74% of Works’ engineers experienced an improvement in their standard of living, indicating its positive impact on their financial status.
- An overwhelming 85% of the respondents reported an increase in self-confidence, highlighting the positive effect of Works on their personal well-being.
- A significant 67% of workers stated that they experienced higher job contentment while working on Works, indicating the platform’s positive impact on their work life.
- Approximately 65% of users reported increased savings potential, highlighting Works’ contribution to their financial stability.
- A remarkable 81% of seasoned Works engineers, with a minimum experience of one year, reported receiving pay raises, emphasising how the platform has assisted in enhancing their financial growth.
Works has gained significant global interest in its platform, with applications pouring in from over 90 countries and engineers located in nearly 40 countries. In the past six months, the number of applications from regions outside of Asia has increased by 7.5 times, and those from regions within Asia have risen by 5 times. This underlines the vast potential for Works to further expand its operations on a worldwide scale.
Works is confident that its approach to supporting intelligent engineers and programmers can be effectively implemented worldwide, as demonstrated by its recent expansion. While it is crucial to take into account the cultural distinctions that exist among different nations, we trust that our strategy will produce similarly positive outcomes in global markets.
Methodologies and Sources
Works specialises in seeking out remote technology engineers for a wide range of industries. Our all-inclusive Human Resources services provide selection, invoicing, regulatory compliance, and tax support for employing and onboarding remote workers and global contractors. Our aim is to assist in procuring the most exceptional remote developers for your team, ensuring they have the skills to take on and successfully execute critical technological projects and initiatives. If you want to learn more about recruiting remote workers, we have a few tips in our article on finding the best location to hire software developers and in our discussion on working within a global ecosystem.
