CRSE’s recent report The Freelance Project and Gig Economies of the 21st Century was covered in an article published in the Global Voice Magazine.
A quarterly-issue print and digital magazine, Global Voice, features articles from the faculty and partner experts of five of the world’s leading schools of business and management, as well as guest experts and faculty from other prestigious institutions.
The aim of the magazine is to inform and educate tomorrow’s responsible business leaders, managers, policy-makers, educators, students and key opinion leaders and bring business to the service of the common good.
The article by Andrew Burke, Dean of Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, chair of the CRSE and author of the report, shines a light on the immense value of the growing freelance project sector, contributing to the UK economy and driving economic performance through innovation.
The report finds that project-based freelancers working on individual projects such as new product development, innovation and infrastructure account for 73 per cent - or £104 billion - of the UK’s £140-145 billion economic output of highly skilled freelancers.
Gig-based freelancers, by contrast, account for just 14 per cent, or £20 billion, of this amount. The rest is made up by “portfolio” freelancers who do a variety of different kinds of work including both small gigs and larger projects.
The report also shows that many firms use the flexible expertise of project freelancers to tap into human resources beyond the confines of their employees for their innovation and growth work.
This suggests that to boost entrepreneurship and innovation among the freelance population governments should improve access to and encourage the project economy.
To find out more or read the full article click here.