How to thrive in the coming tech gig economy
In short, the days of decades-long careers in corporate environments may be dwindling for many IT pros, and while millennials coming of age in tomorrow’s gig-based tech employment market may be attracted to the idea of remote work for multiple clients -- as can be seen by the growth of co-working environments -- not everyone is prepared to embrace a nomadic future of career contingency.
How should you adjust to this shifting employment landscape Should you broaden your skills or specialize Should you develop a plan to strike out on your own or double-down on the skills that will remain invaluable for retaining long-term, full-time employment Here we take a look at how tech staffing will evolve in the years ahead -- and how you can make the best of the shift.
The pace of technical advancement in recent years is no doubt shaking up employment models for organizations large and small alike. Recruiting for skills that didn’t exist a few years ago has pushed companies toward hiring more contractors on a project basis. And the need to adopt new and emerging platforms quickly is affecting plucky startups and long-established tech firms to the extent that this rising dependence on contract work could become a near industry-wide norm in the not-too-distant future.
“Experienced workers, who are able to jump into a project quickly, save a company valuable time and resources,” says Rob Brimm, the CEO of Fieldglass, a cloud-based vendor management system. “It’s important for companies to find the right talent, and today it’s certainly the norm to look to flexible workers.”
As evidence of this trend, Brimm notes a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey that found 70 percent of financial services CEOs citing the availability of key skills as a top threat to their organizations. And most recruiters will tell you they see more demand for contract work among the employers they represent. But it’s not only the firms doing the hiring that are fueling the trend toward flexible employment relationships. To some degree the demand is coming from those seeking IT work as well.
“On the talent front, millennials are in a prime position for advancing contract work,” Jim Chou, CTO of Work Market, a marketplace for freelance work. “Popularized by the startup companies, they seek independence and freedom to work from wherever and whenever. Larger organizations are taking notice and adapting their policies to cater to this growing workforce demographic.”
Pilot projects and emerging platforms aren't the sole focus of this shift toward contract gigs, according to Chou.
“[We’re] also seeing more and more traditional work categories in IT being packaged into definable work tasks that can be performed by verified contract workers, and with their work measured and priced,” Chou says. “For example, in software testing, we see contract work where companies pay by the number of defects found. Others pay by the resulting algorithms, big data ETL created, or even by the IT trouble tickets fulfilled. We also observe that more and more young IT professionals are taking on projects outside of their workplace -- a twist to moonlighting.”
Doug Paulo, who leads Kelly Services’ IT staffing business, says these free agents prefer contract work because they can develop new skills and have more control over their schedules. They see themselves as entrepreneurs who are in it for the long haul.
“Employers need to be aware of this trend as they manage their talent supply chain,” Paulo says. “To continue to attract professional and technical candidates with the high level of expertise and diverse experience they need, employers will have to keep their doors open to just-in-time talent by offering the more flexible, nontraditional work arrangements that free agents are looking for.”
Long-term IT success has always hinged on keeping your skill set fresh, but with staffing mixes trending toward more contract-based work, and presumably fewer full-time gigs, what’s the best approach to developing a bulletproof set of IT skills Should you dive deep into a certain area or develop a hybrid approach so that you’re able to wear many hats
“I would focus on depth in a specific area like data mining or security and do my best to gain experience in a specific industry, such as financial services or automotive, for example,” says Margaret Gernert, research director at CDI Corp., an IT staffing services company. “Many of our clients want talent that has both technical skills and knowledge of their industry, which is why knowing your technical discipline and immersing yourself in it is required, but the vertical experience is becoming more and more essential -- it’s literally part of many of our clients’ job descriptions.”
Gabe McDonald, senior vice president in Addison Group’s contract IT practice, says developing skills in a specific area not only makes you a more attractive hire, it also boosts your paycheck.
“The premium rates that accompany contract work are typically paid for people who are subject-matter experts,” McDonald says. “If you’re pursuing a role in development, I’d recommend mastering a specific language and keeping up-to-date with new versions, instead of expanding the number of languages you’re familiar with. Professionals who provide a more specialized expertise ultimately will secure the highest-paying, more sought-after roles.”
Kelly’s Paulo, however, argues that a broad set of skills can increase your options.
“Companies that are working leaner may appreciate having employees who are not steeped too deep in one area and can handle multiple types of projects.” But he points out that his firm’s own research suggests that IT pros themselves want to get specific when it comes to skill sets.
“IT professionals place a substantially higher emphasis on developing specific skills, with 25 percent citing that not having additional training would be a factor in leaving their existing employer,” Paulo says. “On the other hand, 66 percent cited training as a significant attraction factor to new opportunities or companies as opposed to 58 percent of the overall population. Because IT is a function that has a very high probability of working in virtual teams, the ability to work well with team members abroad is considered common, so deeper expertise receives a higher emphasis.”
If you're considering going on your own, you may wonder whether it’s better to go solo or work with a partner. Should you join up with another IT pro with a different skill set to increase your opportunities -- or is independence more important to you
Kelly’s Paulo suggests going on your own is, well, more fun. “To be a true free agent and enjoy the flexibility the lifestyle affords, it would be more beneficial to go on your own,” Paulo says. “That way, you are more adept and able to be agile and seize opportunities quickly.”
But he recognizes working with a partner has benefits: “If you are starting your own business, having a partner can spread the risk and costs involved.”
Work Market’s Chou also sees the benefits of creating your own team, and he says it can ease the transition from full-time work.
“To mitigate the risk of the unknown that comes with going solo, it may make more sense to work with a partner when you're first starting out. This will ensure you have work from day one and don't need to spend a majority of your time building out a client roster. This will also allow you to gauge the independent lifestyle and determine if it works for you. It's a sort of try-before-you-buy scenario, where you can really evaluate if being a freelance professional aligns with your salary expectations, schedule preferences, and so on. If you find it's everything you hoped for and yearn for the independence it provides, you're always able to go off and build your own business.”
If you’re feeling uncertain about your skill set, you could start with a clean slate and become steeped in the latest advances in technology. But since deep skills in specific industries are in demand, it may be time to double down instead of starting anew.
“Theoretically, both professional reinvention and training tune-ups are great; however, most critical is ensuring you have a strong base,” says Addison Group’s McDonald. “If you are motivated, articulate, intelligent, and professional, either reinvention or training will improve your demand. That said, training is likely more valuable in the short term given most jobs are seeking skilled technical professionals, and reinvention implies you’re starting over.”
Obviously, there’s no one-size-fits-all plan for making yourself more marketable in the coming tech gig economy. Kelly’s Paulo suggests first taking a step back and doing a little self-analysis.
“If you want to capitalize on some of the newer tech opportunities, such as mobile app development or cyber security certifications, you may need to reinvent yourself if you do not have that kind of experience,” he says. “If you want to stay in the same general area of specialty you are currently in, you could likely tune up with training and higher-level certifications.”
“Whether or not to ‘reinvent yourself’ depends on your skill set,” says John Reed, senior executive director at staffing firm Robert Half Technology. “If you’ve been working with older languages that may not be as relevant broadly throughout the job market or if you want to venture into an area that you haven’t worked in before -- for example, data roles -- it could be advantageous to take on additional training in order to gain new skills.”
Either way you play it, Fieldglass’ Brimm says it may not even require new certifications, merely a competency at rolling with new tech.
“It’s becoming a lot easier to download tutorials, watch clips of videos, and connect with others digitally that can increase an existing skill set and help flexible workers broaden their niche talents,” Brimm says. “There is always room to grow and always room to improve. In any industry there should be a continued appetite to learn and grow.”
Despite the obvious appeal of running your own show and setting your schedule, going freelance isn’t for everyone. What if the gig economy isn’t for you Job security, steady pay, and the benefits that come along may be the prime motivators in your work life. And if companies are likely to increase staffing via contract work in the years ahead, how can you set yourself apart in the potentially dwindling full-time IT employment market
“Companies are driving greater efficiency,” says Work Market’s Chou. They’re “handling more and more work, while expanding partner, vendors, and contractor relationships. One example is Apple. Its product development is all about design, so it keeps the quality control function in-house. This points to a need for positions that involve strategy, supplier management, R&D with skills in project management, strategy, operation control, communication, contract negotiation, and management. All things that are core to the business will not likely be outsourced.”
Are the full-time jobs that remain more strategic, closer aligned to business, more about products than projects
“Employers are looking for those with the technical skills to carry out or implement projects, but they are also seeking employees who are able to provide thoughtful recommendations for the business,” says Robert Half’s Reed. “Whether it’s new processes that may increase efficiency and decrease spend or presenting business leaders with the latest and greatest in technologies or data security measures. The most valuable technology employees right now are those with the ability to balance technical skill and business acumen.”
Fieldglass’ Brimm, like others we spoke with, brought up the push from the bottom. A new generation of IT workers enjoys the flexibility of contract jobs -- but there’s an obvious downside.
“It’s been said that millennials like to ‘job hop’ more than other generations, but what I find especially interesting is that in today’s economy, the flexible workforce allows individuals to pick and choose the projects they’d like to work on,” Brimm says. “Workers can also use this flexibility to improve on an existing system by applying their personal experience into a project. If the project goes well, a company may take notice and create additional projects for the flexible worker at hand.”
The kicker may be that in a gig economy, the end may not be in sight, but at some point, it’s coming.
“Flexible workforces don’t offer the same stability that a full-time work structure does,” Brimm says. “There’s a risk associated with contingent work because there is always a timetable and an end date to the assignment.”
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