The changing world demands a change in the way business is done. Flexibility and variability are two things in high demand now. To remain competitive, leaders need to reduce and variabilize fixed labor costs while still achieving similar results. Freelancers and contract workers are the solution.
All across the internet are new breeds of global marketplaces for freelancers, contractors, and gig workers. You can get almost any kind of work done in this virtual space. Freelancing platforms like Fiverr and TaskRabbit make it easy to find labor at competitive rates. But where do you go if you’re looking for something more specialized? That’s what we explore here as we look at some best places to hire freelancers on the web.
Why should you use freelance staffing platforms?
Freelance platforms allow businesses to outsource work on projects that require specialized skills or additional manpower. This labor frees up full-time employees to focus on other work. Freelance staffing platforms are an excellent avenue for companies looking for affordable solutions to their workforce needs.
Freelancers and gig workers have become a popular solution in recent years as the economy continues to change and globalization continues to increase. Many businesses need high-demand talent on flexible engagements for existing projects or projects they’ve never built before.
There are many types of jobs freelancers can do like coding, design, writing, research, and more. As this Forbes article mentions, the playing field for talent access has been levelled for businesses large and small thanks to freelancing platforms. In addition, we’ve prepared a number of tips for managing freelancers around the world.
The gig economy is the new norm.
Remote work isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and technology is expanding exponentially to accommodate it. We are seeing incredible innovations efficiently bring remote-work-seekers together with employers eager to hire contract workers like never before. It’s no wonder there are so many different online marketplaces for people who want to work remotely or people who want to hire gig workers.
According to Statista, “In 2023, the projected gross volume of the gig economy is expected to reach 455.2 billion U.S. dollars.” This amount is nearly double what they reported the gig economy to be in 2019.
Staffing companies are outdated and archaic. Many staffing agencies have been slow to innovate; you can find the right people and hire them the right way using a freelance staffing platform. These platforms have advanced so quickly, they are far more efficient than using staffing agencies. With the addition of an API compliance layer like GreenLight safely managing your contingent workforce, you can hire and pay top talent safely, effectively, and efficiently.
Our Favorite Freelance Platforms
Here are some of our favorite platforms where you can easily connect with top-tier freelancers immediately.
TOPTAL
Toptal is a global, remote freelancing platform that offers the best software engineers, finance experts, designers, project managers, and business consultants in the world to companies around the globe.
With Toptal, you can create an exceptional team, on demand. The Toptal freelancer market is uniquely equipped to provide you with the top-of-the-line expertise that you need with flexible engagement. You can even test drive your hire before making a final decision, and you pay only if you’re satisfied!
Why we love it: Toptal’s average match time is under 24 hours, and there is zero risk. Every single freelancer in the Toptal global network is talented, hard-working, and professional.
UPWORK
Upwork is a platform for businesses looking to contract talent on a freelance basis. They provide freelancers for one-person start ups and Fortune 100 companies alike.
If you are looking for variety when it comes to your remote workforce, then Upwork is the option for you. Upwork’s freelancers have over 8,000 skills that cover everything from website development to customer support. With so many different skill sets available, you can find the perfect freelancer for your project needs.
Why we love it: Upwork Enterprise has found an amazing, cost-effective solution to help alleviate the challenges of running a business while simultaneously offering employees more opportunities. With Upwork Enterprise, employers can find talented professionals from around the world who are available right now, on terms that work for you.
CATALANT
Catalant Technologies is a software company that uses unique technology to make recommendations and enable access to freelancers who have the perfect skills and expertise for your projects.
Catalant offers flexible support from experts and consulting firms. They have an Expert Marketplace where you have access to nearly 70,000 elite independent experts and more than 1,000 firms.
Why we love it: Catalant isn’t just interested in getting you a remote worker, their goal is to help you get from strategy to execution with the right people by your side.
FREELANCER
Freelancer is a freelancer marketplace that connects employers with freelancers for jobs. Employers post the job and then freelance workers can bid on the job to complete it.
When it comes to hiring, Freelancer allows you to browse portfolios and read reviews on different freelancers you’re interested in. Once the project is underway, you can live chat with your freelancers about how the project is going. You only pay for work when you’re completely satisfied.
Why we love it: With Freelancer, you can get work done in over 1800 different categories. WIth Freelancer Enterprise, you can access a global workforce of over 40 million freelancers to help you scale at a fraction of the price.
WE ARE ROSIE
We Are Rosie is a community of on-demand marketing experts. In under 72 hours, you can get a handpicked marketing expert who is the perfect match for your business. If you’re in need of expert marketing talent, look no further than We Are Rosie. They offer scalable, flexible solutions with the best marketing talent out there.
Why we love it: The talent industry plays a vital role in progressing inclusivity in businesses. We Are Rosie reports that, “40% of Rosies put to work in 2020 were Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.”
WEIRDLY
Weirdly is one of the best options for high-volume recruitment. They instantly curate a talent pool off of your custom criteria, and you can get candidates from apply to offer in 48 hours. Weirdly will give you a longlist of people with the right skills and availability for your needs, and they take the headache out of scheduling interviews with automated scheduling.
Why we love it: Weirdly treats your applicants like customers. They’ve designed their talent platform to make sure you make a good impression on every applicant–not just the successful ones.
ODETTA
Odetta is an outsourcing software made simple. Designed for tech startups, Odetta not only finds talent and builds a team for you, they give your digital work to an account manager who breaks the tasks into a plan and manages the output for you.
You simply submit a project request, and then Odetta delivers a work sample and budget to you for approval. Upon approval, you get introduced to your account manager who builds the project plan. Odetta takes care of building the best team for the project and provides quality assurance as they see it through to completion. FInally, you get your work delivered to you for review and feedback.
Why we love it: With Odetta, managing a contingent workforce has never been easier. We love Odetta so much, they are one of our partners at GreenLight. Together we make hiring, managing, and paying your contingent workforce simple, effective, and compliant.
REFERRALS
Last but not least, we recommend asking for referrals. Finding the right talent for your company doesn’t need to be difficult, and it can often be done in a more personalized manner than you might think. For example, when looking for freelancers, we have found that sometimes the best hires come from referrals or connections made through social networking platforms.
While this isn’t exactly a platform, referrals are a traditional method for hiring that can be done in an innovative way in the digital age. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of your social media following and email list when hiring.
Why we love it: Talking about hiring on your social media channels displays the growth of your company, and this is sure to make a good impression on any of your prospects.
In Conclusion
Freelancers and gig workers are changing the game for businesses that need high-demand talent on flexible engagements. These platforms are sure to bring you top-tier freelance talent that will help you accomplish your biggest goals while staying competitive in an ever-evolving market.
Once you’ve found your expert team, you’ll need a way to pay them that is reliable and compliant like GreenLight. We handle payroll, benefits, risk mitigation, and compliance so that you have more time to build a world-class team. Schedule a call with our team of experts today.
