Why IT Managers Are Turning to Freelancers
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Why IT Managers Are Turning to Freelancers
By bringing on freelancers, IT managers can get more work done and can better balance their teams to meet deadlines without having to delay or cancel projects. -
Key Element
75% of the IT managers surveyed said their department's success depends on getting access to tech professionals with the right skills. -
Major Challenge
41% said hiring tech talent has gotten more difficult over the past year, compared to just 14% who said it has gotten easier. -
Change Management
76% said that companies that don't evolve their approach to hiring will be at a competitive disadvantage, and 77% said tech is changing the way their team finds and works with IT pros. -
Contract Job
53% of the IT managers surveyed said they currently use freelancers to support IT needs, and 58% said freelancers will be part of their long-term hiring strategy. -
Benefits of Hiring Freelancers
Get more work done: 81%. Scale teams to meet project demands: 66%. Find skills not available in-house. 51% -
Productivity Snag
Of those hiring freelancers, 90% said that if they were unable to hire freelancers, their IT teams would be forced to delay or cancel projects, and/or extend deadlines. -
Lengthy Vacancy
IT managers spend, on average, 40 days to fill open tech positions, compared to the average of 30 days that other managers spend hiring workers for non-tech positions -
Off-Site
78% of the IT managers surveyed said they have someone on their team who works a significant portion of their time remotely. -
Online
68% agree that hiring online will soon become common.
A growing number of IT department managers reported that the hiring market for technology talent has gotten more difficult over the past year, and the majority of them said they need to hire freelancers to support IT needs, according to a recent survey from Upwork. The resulting "Future Workforce IT Report" reveals that most IT managers said they've had to evolve in their approach to hiring in order to maintain a competitive edge. By bringing on freelancers, their department gets more work done, and they can better balance teams to meet project demands. The IT managers also avoid the delay or cancellation of projects or the extension of deadlines. "The tech talent gap has reached a crisis point," said Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork. "Companies are struggling with a widening tech skills gap, particularly in areas such as AI, IoT and robotics. The shortage of skilled tech professionals has become a major concern for companies. To help bridge the gap, companies are innovating their talent strategies by leveraging freelancers with the specialized skills they need to develop new technologies." More than 200 IT managers took part in the research.