3 advantages of hiring contract workers

1. they have specialised skills

Professional contractors often have specialised skills that companies need for a specific project or during the period of restructuring. Companies looking for talent with niche skills will find it difficult to attract and engage them. More than half the working population is not equipped with the new in-demand skills that have arisen from the digital economy and deep tech. There is also a lack of STEM graduates to build internal talent pipelines.

For example, when a company undergoes digital transformation, they will need to hire experienced project managers, DevOps talent, cybersecurity experts, as well as network and system engineers for development and integration. Professional contractors not only bring with them knowledge from working on similar projects in other organisations, they are also able to leverage what they’ve learned from previous work experience to be more efficient.

2. reduce long-term labour costs

Companies typically engage contractors for a period of between three months and two years to help work on specific projects. Since these workers are only hired for the short-term, contracting as an alternative workforce solution allows companies the flexibility to maintain their headcount budget. Companies are also not obligated to find another role within the organisation for them to move into after they fulfil their deliverables, as their skills may not be fully compatible for the new role.

As more companies display greater caution when investing in the right talent, employers tend to use the contracting period to determine whether the worker will be a good fit for the job and organisation culture before bringing them on full-time. Engaging professional contractors not only helps to keep overheads low, but also ensures that companies have the right talent in the pipeline.

3. improve workforce quality

Fixed-term contractors tend to be more engaged with their work and have higher levels of productivity. This is because they were hired to fulfil specific goals, and their professional reputation lies in their ability to promptly deliver the results they were engaged for. The high exposure to different workplaces also demonstrates their ability to adapt and be flexible when placed in new or unfamiliar environments.

An integrated workplace creates a unique ecosystem which facilitates skills transfer and collaborations among permanent staff, contractors and freelancers. With enough interaction and integration, permanent staff can gain new knowledge and perspectives from their contracting colleagues, which would mitigate career stagnation as they have the opportunity to continue learning.

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