Facilitating freelancers

A rapidly growing part of Pakistan’s economy is freelance work. In fact, Pakistan ranks fourth in the world, behind only the US, the UK and Brazil, in terms of fastest-growing earnings for freelancers, also known as ‘gig’ employees. According to a digital payment company report, the number of freelancers under the age of 35 in Pakistan is well above the global average of 70 per cent. Rather than work on a regular basis for one employer, freelancers are self-employed and usually work for multiple clients at a time. Popular fields for freelance work include writing, design, marketing, and social media.

It must be said here that the main reason our youth opt for freelance work is an ailing economy which has been unable to generate sufficient full-time job opportunities, with a recent report revealing that 16.2 per cent of Pakistan’s bachelor’s degree holders are currently unemployed. It is, therefore, essential that we focus our efforts on providing full-time employment opportunities for our citizens. It is also important, however, to take steps to assist the large number of the country’s freelancers, many of whom earn a good living working in a convenient, self-paced environment and also contribute substantially to the country’s economy. The federal Ministry of Information Technology’s Digital Skills (DigiSkills) Training Programme, which aims to teach one million people specialised skills, is a positive step for freelancers.

In addition, considering gig workers do not have access to benefits provided to companies’ permanent employees, the government must enact legislation to provide long-term freelancers rights to a minimum wage and benefits. Furthermore, the government must consider a public-private partnership arrangement to boost employment prospects for freelancers. A major hurdle gig workers currently face is finding suitable employers. The IT Ministry, therefore, must play its role in locating and helping match employers with freelancers for maximum productivity.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2020.

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