As we know, COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives, especially here in Singapore. It has affected our families, businesses, our way of life, and the economy as a whole. But one notable and very significant change brought about by the pandemic is on how we work. With so many people out of their jobs, others working at home, the pandemic also accelerated a major shift to a different form of work – freelancing. In the last several months, thousands of Singaporeans started freelancing, which is thought to be because of the flexibility and variety the jobs offered. Now, with the way these jobs have become popular in Singapore, it is only logical that we find out more about them, and if they are ideal, given the current situation.

Is today’s market tough for freelancers?

Today’s job market has been tough for everyone. For freelancers though, it was kind of a ‘yes or no’ situation, in that, when the pandemic started, freelancers did suffer a slight blow, but were the first ones to get back on their feet. See, before the pandemic started, freelancers were trained how to create value creation for their clients, which worked really well. But soon after the pandemic hit, as their clients were experiencing the pandemic first-hand, it became a little tougher for them to adapt to the new environment and so, finding gigs became an instant challenge. But since then, things have changed for the better.

The biggest opportunities for freelancers

Nowadays, change is occurring constantly, and organizations are increasingly in need of new skills. Also, with everyone working at home and companies still unsure of the direction the economy is headed, there are so many opportunities for freelancers to leverage their skills and provide real value to their clients. What’s more, becoming a freelancer has become quite easy these days, where an interested individual can just log in to online platforms such as Udemy and Coursera and acquire the skills needed to make a living as a freelancer. This is of course a big opportunity for everyone looking to start freelancing.

Now, should more people consider going to freelancing?

Yes! Given the current situation with the pandemic, freelancing is the most ideal gig most people should consider taking. As a matter of fact, people should start operating and thinking as freelancers, even with a full-time job. Consider building up your personal brand and network constantly, act like you want to continually add to your skills, and also learn how you can provide value to anyone you collaborate with. With these freelancer traits, you will maintain a future-proof and ‘pandemic-proof’ career.

Now, back to the point, in Singapore currently, there are quite a number of indicators all pointing to the fact that freelancing is actually increasing in demand, and the pandemic has literary taken it to the next level. If you remember correctly, this is the same behavior we saw back in 2008, when we had the financial crisis. Right now, given how hard it is to get a full-time job along with the so many remote jobs all over the country, freelancing is the way to go, given the freedom and the flexibility to find a gig quickly. After all, more and more clients these days are searching for services online, which means more and more jobs for freelancers.