27 June 2013
Freelancers and independent workers are gaining acceptance in a growing cadre of the UAE workforce. Even though there is no exact number of freelance professionals in the county, more independent employees are now looking at this side of the job market seriously.
There is no restriction as to which professionals can freelance but there are some specific freelance careers that can be said as the best or fast growing in the country.
"Anything related to the creative, design and production industries are the most popular professions for freelance professionals," says Alexandra Tohme, Community Manager at Nabbesh.com, a virtual skills marketplace, especially catering to freelancers in the region.
"For example, rarely will firms hire photographers, directors, producers and videographers full time. Currently, the biggest demand is seen for Arabic content creators /producers, scriptwriters, translators, analytics professionals, graphic designers, web designers and web developers," adds Tohme.
SMEs or start-ups are likely to resort to freelancers to stick to their limited budget.
"A lot of the demand is driven by the increased investment into start-ups and very small businesses who cannot afford to hire someone fulltime, and often need different tasks doing at different times.
"Medium to larger enterprises in the advertising, media and creative industries will need to tap into freelancers frequently to service their changing client portfolio," explains Tohme.
However, there are no set pay scales for such professionals. "We're still working on benchmark rates for each profession but like most employment, you can earn more depending on your experience and exact skill set. The rate is very competitive, however, and for certain skillsets, at this point in time, it can be financially much better for an individual to pursue his own business or freelance activities compared to full time work for another organisation, provided you can afford the initial capital expenditure for getting licensed etc.," the Nabbesh.com spokesperson told Emirates 24|7.
Freelancers and independent workers are gaining acceptance in a growing cadre of the UAE workforce. Even though there is no exact number of freelance professionals in the county, more independent employees are now looking at this side of the job market seriously.
There is no restriction as to which professionals can freelance but there are some specific freelance careers that can be said as the best or fast growing in the country.
"Anything related to the creative, design and production industries are the most popular professions for freelance professionals," says Alexandra Tohme, Community Manager at Nabbesh.com, a virtual skills marketplace, especially catering to freelancers in the region.
"For example, rarely will firms hire photographers, directors, producers and videographers full time. Currently, the biggest demand is seen for Arabic content creators /producers, scriptwriters, translators, analytics professionals, graphic designers, web designers and web developers," adds Tohme.
SMEs or start-ups are likely to resort to freelancers to stick to their limited budget.
"A lot of the demand is driven by the increased investment into start-ups and very small businesses who cannot afford to hire someone fulltime, and often need different tasks doing at different times.
"Medium to larger enterprises in the advertising, media and creative industries will need to tap into freelancers frequently to service their changing client portfolio," explains Tohme.
However, there are no set pay scales for such professionals. "We're still working on benchmark rates for each profession but like most employment, you can earn more depending on your experience and exact skill set. The rate is very competitive, however, and for certain skillsets, at this point in time, it can be financially much better for an individual to pursue his own business or freelance activities compared to full time work for another organisation, provided you can afford the initial capital expenditure for getting licensed etc.," the Nabbesh.com spokesperson told Emirates 24|7.
© Emirates 24|7 2013
