Women lap up freelance gigs as work-from-home ends
freelance opportunities has surged at a time when many women are dropping out of the permanent workforce due to lack of remote work opportunities and several companies insisting on returning to the office. The June quarter saw a 15% increase in the number of women consultants signing up for freelance roles over the preceding one, according to data from Flexing It shared exclusively with ET.
As much as 60% of these women are seeking full-time projects, the rest part-time ones. While more do want to take up full-time assignments, many prefer freelance roles for the location flexibility.
«Lack of remote work options is one of the major drivers for many qualified women professionals — who want to contribute meaningfully — to take up freelance opportunities,» said Rajkamal Vempati, head of HR at Axis Bank. Flexing It founder and CEO Chandrika Pasricha said: «Freelancing offers the opportunity to better manage your schedule and get flexibility (remote work), while staying engaged and building a career.» «The acceptance of remote work arrangements is also a lever to help women consultants deliver on high-quality projects, without the need to be at the client site all the time.» The percentage of women consultants registering on Flexing It platform shot up 153% in FY23 from a year ago.
«Women today are keen to continue their careers and not drop off,» said Saundarya Rajesh, founder-president, Avtar Group.Women have more options now «However, they are dropping off from organisations which don't provide flexibility, which is veritably the oxygen of women's careers.» This trend is more pronounced among mid-career women, who earlier didn't have options to stay employed, but can do so today through gig roles, she said. The curbing of
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