The job scenario in South Africa is set to change as more and more youngsters are staying away from 9 to 5 jobs, a euphemism for regular jobbers. The prediction by many experts is that by 2020, freelancers in South Africa are set to occupy the mainstream work force and regular jobbers’ number set to deplete year after year. With the digitization and the policy of the corporations and some government departments to outsource works, the number of freelancers is set to rise phenomenally . With the fast catching up trend of the corporations to outsource to cut the fixed cost of employment, many of the youngsters are willing to take a plunge into freelancing. Is there any empirical data to prove the type of business opportunities that the freelancers are upfront with? The freelancers’ average earnings increased by 50% during the last few years, according to a study. The general trend among the businesses is to hire freelancers and they are willing to pay them the right price for their work as well. Employers are starting to realize that cheaper is not always better. Firstly, free-lancers cut employee overhead costs. Also, there is also flexibility in the length of contract. The reasons for the burgeoning popularity of hiring freelancers in South Africa is due to three factors: speed of hiring, flexibility and cost.
