Despite mass layoffs freelancers no longer a “threat” to exsiting employees says report

In the face of mass layoffs that swept several industries in the past two years, businesses are expected to embrace freelance talent to fill critical skills gaps in 2024. They are also leveraging AI tool skills

Tech layoffs took over the headlines this year, but other industries have also taken a hit, notably marketing services, and have had to turn to freelancers to fill in the gaps.

An impressive 85% of marketing leaders, for example, have had to turn to freelancers to address the loss of essential roles and expertise during this period of economic uncertainty. No surprise that 45% of marketing teams include freelancers, with 54% of teams adding more in 2023 compared to previous years, according to an AdWeek report.

A survey revealed that 74% of full-time and part-time employees felt supported by the freelancers their companies brought in last year. This positive sentiment demonstrates that freelance talent is not a threat to existing employees but rather a complementary force that enhances the overall capabilities of the team.

Marketers are finding that freelancers bring a wealth of new skills and perspectives to their teams, contributing to innovation and growth, said the report. This is reflected in the fact that 56% of marketers report benefiting from the new skills brought in by freelancers.

Freelancers are also proving a harmonious addition to existing teams. A survey revealed that 74% of full-time and part-time employees felt supported by the freelancers their companies brought in last year. This positive sentiment demonstrates that freelance talent is not always perceived as a threat to existing employees but rather a complementary force that enhances the overall capabilities of the team.

In response to an online survey The Freelance Informer conducted, 78% of respondents said freelancers were generally considered a benefit to an existing team of employees with 22% saying freelancers were perceived as a threat.

One IT contractor said his experience when it came to full-time employees’ attitudes towards him and other contractors depended on their previous experiences. “If they have worked with good ones then they are generally quite welcoming, however, if they had bad ones then it’s generally quite negative.”

Embracing AI for Enhanced Growth and Innovation

To further bolster their teams and harness the transformative power of technology, marketers should consider the following strategies and freelancers should be looking for the same in skill acquisition:

Explore bringing in freelancers with AI expertise: Freelancers with specialised AI knowledge can provide a competitive edge. These individuals can assist in developing and implementing AI-driven strategies, analysing data, and automating tasks, leading to enhanced efficiency and insights.

Invest in user-friendly AI tools: Empowering teams with user-friendly AI tools can democratise AI within the organisation, enabling marketers of all skill levels to leverage AI for tasks like content creation, audience segmentation, and campaign optimisation. However, human editing is always a must.

Cultivate a data-driven mindset: Fostering a data-driven culture within marketing teams is crucial for maximising the value of AI. However, data analysis can sound intimidating. By providing data collection training on no-code apps, freelancers can help carry out analysis and informed decision-making.

AI tools that can give freelancers an edge

With new AI apps coming out practically every week, freelancers must do their research as to which ones are in demand by the hiring companies they would most like to work with. Here are a few that they can consider:

Tome:

This site’s templates enable freelancers to complete projects and documents such as sales pitches and business plans in a fraction of the time.

Polymer

This is a data analysis platform that simplifies the process of data preparation, exploration, and visualisation. It eliminates the need for coding, allowing users to focus on insights rather than technical hurdles. Polymer’s AI capabilities provide automated data cleaning, outlier detection, and anomaly detection, saving analysts valuable time and effort.

Other data analysis tools that can get with data migration and analysis along with visualisation include MonkeyLearn and Tableau.

Jasper AI

Jasper AI is an AI writing assistant that can generate marketing copy, blog posts, social media captions, and more. It’s known for its ability to write in a variety of tones and voices, making it a versatile tool for marketers.

SurferSEO

This is an AI-powered SEO tool that helps you create content that ranks higher in search engines. It analyses your content and suggests improvements to your keyword usage, heading structures, and readability.

Frase

Frase helps marketers create content that matches the intent of their target audience. It analyses your content and suggests improvements to your keyword usage, heading structures, and readability.