We have the Internet to thank for fundamentally changing the employment economy and creating specialized, cross-country opportunities that we wouldn’t have thought possible in the past two decades. With the rise of accessible Internet came the burgeoning of the remote-work models of labor such as outsourcing and freelancing. And it’s the latter, in particular, that has grown across world.
Financial services company Payoneer stated in its 2018 Payoneer Freelancer Income Survey that 28% of the world’s freelancers—which is a big chunk of the sector—came from Asia. A study conducted by the University of the Philippines’ School of Labor and Industrial Relations also named India and the Philippines as the biggest earners in the continent, with the number of Filipino freelancers estimated to be around 1.5 million. Independent contractors from the Philippines can be found at big-name sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com—and increasingly, through up-and-coming freelancing platforms like Smalljobs.ph.
As a future client, you might be wondering about what benefits there are to hiring a freelancer, and where to look for quality labor in this expansive market. In this article, we’d like to limit your choice fatigue and argue for the opportunities to be had with a leading country in the sector, the Philippines. Here are five big reasons why you should be hiring freelancers from this country.
A booming freelancer market
Freelancing is seen as respectable in the Philippines. The culture is very family-oriented, and many Filipinos explore freelance job opportunities so that they can spend more time with their family, save up on living expenses, and pursue their interests. Recent trends show that these decisions can have a positive outcome. PayPal’s Global Freelancer Insights Report for the Philippines surveyed 500 respondents, and 86% of them expected more freelance work to come in this year. Thus, if you hire freelancers from the Philippines, you’ll be hiring from a market that’s experiencing a lot of growth in this particular sector.
World-class skills and education
Filipinos are known worldwide to be good communicators and proficient in the English language. But many of those joining the country’s workforce of independent contractors are also adept in fields like information technology, management, education, and finance and accounting among others. The newly implemented K-12 curriculum has also helped secondary students better prepare for employment at an earlier age.
Richness of skill sets
As per PayPal’s survey, the top three most popular types of freelance work in the Philippines are data entry and Internet research, virtual assistance, and customer service. But a Filipino freelancer who specializes in any of these may also be well-rounded in terms of skill set. Many freelancers tend to bring to the table some skill in writing, transcription, and project management. Even if you hired a freelancer for one particular job, you might be able to get them on board for others, which will make communication and task management much easier on your part.
Flexibility, scalability, and value for money
It will be easy to speak candidly with a Filipino freelancer about your expectations, budget, and the scale of work to be done. The per-project basis of freelancing often proves beneficial to independent clients or small-to-medium enterprises, who need the job done but have no funds to shell out for additional staff, software, and hardware. Most Filipinos will only start negotiating a freelance gig when they have reliable Internet, working computers, and all the necessary programs at their disposal—and are, therefore, already equipped to finish the task. If you’re a client of this demographic, you may also be in for a pleasant surprise: Filipino freelancers are often capable of high-quality work at prices that don’t break the bank, and this type of work offers you high value for money.
Hospitality and friendliness that cross borders
You could argue that these possibilities can be found in any freelancer, regardless of nationality. But you should also understand how important culture is to Filipinos, and how some cultural traits have shaped the workforce as a whole. Filipinos are notably very friendly and accommodating, and one of the things Filipino freelancers will work to convey, even from remote places of work, is a sense of connection. If you tap into this pool of Filipino freelancers, you’ll be greeted not only as a client, but as a friend.
That said, it’s high time to search the Philippine freelancer market for a suitable partner in your work. Good luck, and we wish you utmost success in your business endeavors!
