Recruiting continues to be a challenge for many employers—and the gig economy is making things worse.
A growing number of workers are shunning conventional employment in favor of contract work, shrinking the employment pool. Last year, more than 60 million Americans participated in the gig economy, up three percent over 2021.
And that’s not all. A gig mindset is influencing conventional jobseekers, making them super-selective about employers’ offers.
In order to hire successfully in the gig environment, it’s important to know what makes these workers tick—and to update your recruiting strategy accordingly.
The same shift in worker priorities that drove the Great Resignation is also powering the transition to gig work.
For starters, gig workers are adamant about seeking a better work/life balance, choosing flexible schedules over steady employment. They want to decide when and where they work—i.e., they want control.
But there’s a cost here: financial uncertainty. Gig workers can’t count on regular paychecks—and that’s a pain point. Surveys show that temp workers worry profusely about finances, scoring twice as high as conventional workers on the Economic Anxiety Index.
Plus, they envy the benefit packages that traditional workers enjoy. Some also feel socially isolated, amplifying that anxiety.
So, if contract workers are reading your job posts, there’s a good chance that one or more of these factors are at play. But what happens next depends on you.
By offering them more of the things they want and less of the things they don’t, you may appeal to them—despite their gig mindset. And here are five ways to do just that.
Maybe you’re not ready to offer unlimited PTO—that’s fine. But do you offer ample paid vacation and sick time? Flexible work schedules? Remote and/or hybrid work options, if that works for your business? These are high on most workers’ work/life balance checklist, especially those drawn to gig work.
In addition, consider introducing employee-friendly policies like banning marathon workdays and after-hours emails and messages. These policies signal that you’re serious about work/life balance and have the creds to prove it.