Adopting the gig life: Why temporary work can be a blessing for both employees and employers

SINGAPORE: In her late 20s, Ms Alayna Seah had a self-professed “late quarter-life crisis” upon realising her full-time marketing job potentially did not fit her long-term goals.
She handed in her resignation and took a year-long career break, travelling solo to several countries. 
While trying to figure out her next role, she took up courses in personal development, marketing and artificial intelligence.
She also went out for networking events, volunteering to be in the executive committee of an upcoming festival here and at a toastmasters club which typically teaches public speaking skills.
When she returned to the workforce, Ms Seah, now 30 years old, made the switch to a less stable kind of job: Gig work. 
She took up short-term roles creating content, hosted live-streams, and conducted workshops on public speaking.
She was also a workshop trainer, teaching primary, secondary and tertiary school students skills that would help them get into their desired polytechnic or junior college.
“Through these gigs, what I realised is that I really find a lot of fulfillment in helping people in making an impact in their lives,” she told CNA.
“I’m at a place where, after trying out different activities, I know what my next steps are in my career,” she added.
Recruitment firms said temporary work like Ms Seah’s has become more popular among both employers and employees. 
They said it is more cost-effective to hire multiple temporary workers to cover projects, rather than try to replace someone on extended leave.
The firms added that companies may consider offering a mix of freelance work, temporary roles, and short-term contracts. 
Recruitment agency Michael Page saw a roughly 60 per cent increase in the number of temporary jobs in Singapore this year, said associate director Tania Mustafa.
“Employers are now wanting to take advantage of having more agile business solutions for talent pipelining, and therefore, they are definitely more open to having contract and temporary workers fill in these project-based specialised roles,” she said. 
She added that the number of applicants for such jobs doubled this year compared with last year.
“A lot of more experienced individuals opt for contract or temp roles these days because it allows them more control over their working hours. It also allows them to … learn a new skill in line with their career and personal aspirations. ” said Ms Tania. 
“This can be a great bridge for them to enhance their skill, and if they want to pivot into a different industry or function.”
While most employees opt for job stability, temporary work may appeal to those who are at a stage of their career where they do not want to commit excessively to their jobs, said Mr David Blasco, country director at Randstad Singapore.
“Perhaps they need some work-life balance, or maybe they’re studying and they need a temporary job to cover a specific time gap. Those (people) are probably more inclined towards temporary positions,” he said. 
Mr Rob Wisdom, director of headhunting firm Ethos BeathChapman, said that temporary work is particularly helpful in industries like tech, legal, and financial services where specialised skills are needed.
So far this year, there has been an increase of up to 20 per cent in temporary jobs in the legal industry alone, driven by factors like maternity leave and special projects, according to an expert at Mr Wisdom’s firm.  
“Often, companies have budgets for projects but not for new hires,” Mr Wisdom said. 
Temporary staffing can be effective in filling gaps or if a firm needs to deploy a sizeable team quickly for project needs, he added.
Contracts are effective if companies have a need with defined timelines – like a maternity cover – or work that has strict deadlines. 
One advantage for employees who take up temporary or contract work is that they have a “foot in the door”, which can lead to contract extensions, being first in mind for future assignments and the possibility of a permanent position, Mr Wisdom noted.
“For companies and individuals, a temp or contract assignment gives both parties an opportunity to ensure that the fit is right which can be effective if there was an opportunity for longer term engagement,” he added.