New Survey Finds That 56% of Freelance Scientists Are Optimistic About the Future of the Science Gig Economy
73% of scientists freelance so that they can work across geographical boundaries
Kolabtree, in collaboration with an international social science research team led by Brianna Caza at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Susan Ashford at the University of Michigan, Erin Reid at McMaster University, and Steven Granger at the University of Calgary announced the preliminary results of their initial study, “Understanding the Work of Independent Scientists”. The study aimed to explore how science-based gig workers experience their work, the challenges they face, and the extent to which their working lives are characterized by positive and negative work perceptions.
HR Technology News: TecHRseries Interview with Venkat Ramasamy, COO and VP Marketing for FileCloud
A total of 542 independent scientists on Kolabtree took the survey. Respondents had been working independently for an average of 4.5 years.
Key findings from the survey:
79% of freelance scientists say they work independently by choice
The majority of independent scientists said that they freelance or consult out of choice. Kolabtree respondents were highly educated, and worked in a variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, food science, medical science, biology, and psychology. 49% had earned doctoral degrees, which shows the trend towards freelancing among highly-skilled knowledge workers.
HR Technology News: G&A Partners Named One of San Antonio’s Top Workplaces of 2020
Ability to work across geographical boundaries highly valued by scientists
73% of scientists said that they turn to freelancing to have the ability to work across geographical boundaries. Respondents were spread across the globe, with 41% working in North America and 22.5% living in Europe.
Scientists cite flexibility and control as major benefits of independent work
Flexibility in working style and the freedom to choose projects they worked on seem to be the primary motivating factors for scientists to consult or freelance. Over 90% said that flexibility is highly important, and 85% said they want to choose the projects they work on. While over 50% of respondents took up freelance work only in their area of specialization, 42% said their independent work was a mix of gigs both inside and outside of their specialization.
HR Technology News: PRIDE Industries Expands Sales Team with Two Key Hires