What opportunities exist for the flex sector in the current platform economy?
- From traditional Consulting to Asset Based Consulting
Thanks to large amounts of data, we can analyze the current situation or problem more quickly than ever before, which means that we can anticipate the improvement of the situation sooner. As a result, traditional business advice is increasingly shifting from analyzing the problem to offering a solution. The role of the consultant will therefore also change. He or she will do less research work and will be more concerned with developing the solution. This results in consultants being deployed at a lower frequency over a longer period at clients. This method of job placement can easily be accommodated in a platform. (Source: Harvard: Consulting on the Cusp or Disruption
- Push-to-pull driven job placement
At the moment, many services are being offered from labor intermediaries to clients (push). A platform will change that because the offer can be shared in a closed environment with the desired client without interference from potential competitors. This gives the client the space to walk through the supply itself and to make a choice (pull). Since the intermediate links disappear, there is a big advantage in terms of efficiency and user-friendliness. The role of the intermediary almost disappears in the mediation process and there is 100% transparency about the rate and the margins. (Source: ING: Algorithms versus the flex industry)
- Law and regulations do not stand in the way yet
Many companies are still skeptical about the consequences of the DBA Act. Rightly so, because it can unexpectedly involve financial risks. Due to lack of clarity, the law will not be enforced until 2020. But how does it work? The DBA Act is based on three elements: the duration of the assignment, the rate and the nature of the activities. As soon as the hourly rate is above € 75 and the regular work is concerned, the assignment may not last longer than 12 months. At hourly rates above € 75 and non-regular activities, there is no permanent employment. Since freelance consultants use average hourly rates above € 75 and often, in a niche area such as Data Science, perform specialist work over a period shorter than 12 months, the DBA Act does not seem to stand in the way for the time being. (source: Headfirst law DBA).
- Millenials want to be served differently
The millennials want to make “impact” and achieve goals faster. It is another generation that is less satisfied and partly because of the social media the impression is created that the grass is always greener at the neighbors. More and more people decide to change jobs or opt for freelancer construction (the number of freelancers increases by 15% per year). Flexwork platforms fulfill the need to be able to choose and execute different projects. It facilitates the freelancer in many ways. The video of Simon Sinek illustrates that generation perfectly.
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