Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute largely to the growth of emerging economies like India. Currently, 60% of employment and 40% of the GDP of the country can be attributed to MSMEs. However, this segment of the business community suffers the most from a lack of qualified managerial resources. This stagnates their growth in the MSME segment and can even hurt their long-term survival. 

Thus, many far-sighted MSMEs who recognize their growth potential in new market conditions are enthusiastically hiring the services of freelancers for their professional knowledge and prowess in the field.

The Pandemic lay-offs and how MSMEs can benefit from it

In the first year of the pandemic, the mid and senior-level management were the first ones to be laid off. These experienced professionals, with viable skills and rich experience, are the type of resource persons that MSMEs are seeking. They can introduce processes and techniques that will enable the business to create strategies to grow organically.

Of course, now that companies are once again on a recruitment drive, most skilled professionals will find good placements with all the employment benefits of working with a large company. However, everyone is going to be cautious and continue doing gigs so that they have a fallback option. As in the past, the gig work may lead the professionals down a new career path as consultants. 

This will greatly benefit the MSMEs who can get the services of skilled professionals temporarily, for an upfront professional fee, and with minimum obligations. ZoopUp has identified many skilled freelancers who have joined our portal for temporary roles and short-term projects as a source of secondary income and to test their professional skills in the market.

Connecting with gig workers

A lot of gig work is found through word-of-mouth. MSMEs can be hesitant about approaching recruitment firms as they are unsure about how much the entire recruitment process may cost. Furthermore, many MSMEs do not have the clarity of what they are looking for in terms of resources. Or, on the other hand, they are confident that they can learn the process and do for their business, what a professional is offering. Mostly MSMEs are family-owned businesses or sole proprietorships, and the decision-maker is generally one person or a tight-knit group that mostly includes family members. Unless they have a wider vision of what they want to achieve and are receptive to the idea of bringing in external consultants, it is difficult for anyone to work with them on a contractual basis. 

ZoopUp has identified freelance work in Lucknow and similar tier-2 cities that brings modern solutions to traditionally owned businesses. This includes upgrading processes, training for new systems and techniques, providing essential niche services for legal matters, tax audits, marketing, etc. 

Indian freelancing workforce is the second largest worldwide, and until now comprised largely of millennials. Post-pandemic, many veterans and experienced people are joining this workforce and strengthening the quality of services offered by freelancers. MSMEs contribute to 55% of the freelancers hired in the past year as per LinkedIn. These are heartening numbers that will only grow in the coming years as greater transparency and smoother processes are created. 

ZoopUp provides a progressive platform for communicating with freelancers with our various engagement models. We have a dedicated marketplace for trainers and freelancers in niche domains which are created after identifying the specific needs of MSMEs and larger industries. You can sign up with ZoopUp and post your project and find freelancers and trainers who will be suited for your project needs.