Freelancing has long been seen as a frontier town
fraught with uncertainty, and those who choose it as lone rangers
who rely on word of mouth and the luck of the draw to survive.
But shifts in the employment landscape challenge this
perspective, and the labour movement is now throwing its weight
behind the rising tide of the freelance economy.
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) held its
first freelancer fair on Wednesday (Sept 7) at the Red Dot Design
Museum, to help more than 400 freelancers network and put them in
touch with platforms and services they might need.
NTUC assistant secretary-general Ang Hin Kee estimated
there are about 200,000 freelancers in Singapore, a growing number
that requires a complex ecosystem of support.
"The traditional mode of employment has started to
change," said Mr Ang, who is also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.
"We want to see working people be able to choose
different choices of career - whether employee or freelancer - and
have these lead to the same outcome."
This meant ensuring freelancers too have fair
employment terms and that their needs, such as medical insurance,
skills training, and retirement planning, are met, he said.
While the first fair took place in a physical form, Mr
Ang said future iterations could go digital, depending on
feedback.
Yesterday's fair featured dialogue sessions with
veteran freelancers and booths by 10 "aggregators", or platforms
which freelancers can use to find job opportunities.
These range from ServisHero, a mobile app through which
freelancers such as handymen or cleaners can bid for jobs, to
IoTalents, an online platform for IT professionals.
To ensure fair and timely payment, IoTalents uses an
escrow system which holds the amount paid by the buyer in trust and
releases it in instalments to the freelancer as tasks are
completed.
IoTalents' co-founder Eric Sng said the company was
started in the middle of last year after they observed a market
shift towards more freelance hiring.
He estimated their user base has increased by 30 per
cent every month for the past six months. They now have more than
550 freelancers on board.
Also at the fair were 13 businesses which provide
services freelancers might need, such as book-keeping or work
space.
Online legal platform Dragon Law helps freelancers
create their own legal documents, such as consultancy agreements or
intellectual property (IP) protection.
Its marketing manager, Shermin Oh, said: "These are
things people don't tend to think about. For instance, if you're a
freelance designer and you create for a company, should you license
them to use your work? When you need to chase for payment, it's
often too late."
Entry to the fair cost $8 for early birds and $12 for
tickets on the door, but the price did not deter business
consultant Amerline Lee, 37.
"There isn't much done for freelancers, it's always for
PMETs (professionals, managers, executives or technicians), or
startups," she said.
She left full-time work last September due to illness,
and found it hard to get a permanent position on her return to the
job market. Instead, she went into freelance accounting, and also
does writing and legal document review.
"Right now I'm comfortable with where I am, but it's
unstable. I want to see whether there are other freelancers like me
here. Maybe we could collaborate to take on bigger accounts."
Ms Vannesa Sim, 24, a freelancer who works in film and
TV production, found the fair "slightly cluttered" as several
different industries were represented, but said talks such as how
to get started in freelancing and safeguard your payment options
were useful.
"It's a good start and I hope this support from the
labour movement continues," she said, adding that more freelancers
need to be proactive in making use of such networking events.
Freelance programmer and woodworker Anura Dias, 24,
said it is often difficult to find work if he relies solely on
posting ads or word of mouth introductions. Meeting aggregators at
the fair might help, he said.
"Being a freelancer can be tough," he said. The longest
he has gone without new work is about six months.
But he is determined to press on. "I didn't want to
wake up every morning and go to work for someone else. I want to be
my own boss."
ST