Here is a quote from an email I received today,
The way we work has changed forever. The remote work revolution is here to stay. But have YOU adapted your business?
More and more businesses are turning to freelancers to get work done quickly, efficiently and inexpensively.
In fact, more than 40% of executives expect to increase their use of freelancers over the next five years.
You can’t afford to get left behind by the remote work revolution.
So post your first project today. Start your business on the road to success and get ahead of the curve.
The world is changing. Will you?
Ww know remote work has been around for a while as a smaller part of the world we live in. In 2020 the Covid-19 phenomenon broke a lot of previous conceptions about was and was not possible. We could never have conceived that things like international borders, flights and trade, could ever be shut down the way they were.
We could never have believed governments in so many countries would dare impose the restricitions they did.
It just broke every preconception we had of what was possible.
There are many side effects depending on what viewpoint you take. Lots of positives as well as the obvious negatives.
The biggest positive of all? We are capable of change. We can jump off the treadmill. We choose our destiny. Group-think can be broken free of.
What does this mean for the Expat who by definition is a remote worker. It means it’s time to change gears.
The opportunities to work while you travel or live in a wide variety of countries are opening up.
More employers have been looking hard for ways to insure themselves against future events like Covid-19.
They are more receptive to having remote workers.
Once they get to that conclusion, its not a big step to consider that distance is now not a factor.
Their remote workforce can be in local suburbs, the other side of their home country, and you guessed it the other side of the planet.
Doors previously closed to the Online Expat are opening.
The statement I quoted above was from an email newsletter from Freelancer.com. They were were highlighting what they call “The Gig Economy”.
If you have ever spent any time curious about that working for yourself, you will be aware of Freelancer and quite a few similar platforms.
These pay per task based platforms support a lot of remote work from home entrepreneurs.
These are usually fixed term for a particular task. But there are regularly tasks that can span many months.
Maybe someone wants a Website developer on staff but not permanently. A Freelancer is the ideal solution.
With more employers thinking about the structure of their workforce, they will be more inventive and open in their options.
The trick for Expats is to stay informed, follow the shift in thinking. I will never be the same again.
The need to be connected with sources involved in this discussion is an important step. Watch how the changes manifest. Watch the wording of Position Vacant adds – these will all change. Identify positions that may also accept a remote worker. Write a convincing argument in job submissions as to why a particular job may be handled remotely. And don’t forget, a lot of us Expats have chosen to live in countries where the cost of living is significantly cheaper. We can still ask a comfortable salary less than it would cost the employer in their own economic area. There can be a lot of cost savings for the employer.