The Rise of the Portfolio Career

A recent survey conducted on Australian businesses found that 2/3 of employers in Australia used temporary and contract staff at least once to assist with additional workloads or key projects in 2018, with the majority of the sample reporting the use of contractors on an ongoing basis.

This increasing trend reflects a shift away from the ‘job for life’ mentality that has been instilled in our society for generations and towards a ‘portfolio career’ we see many highly skilled professionals building in recent years.

For job seekers, the idea of working on a project basis is highly attractive as it provides exposure to a range of firms they would not otherwise have exposure to via the traditional permanent engagement model. Working on a project basis as a specialist creates variety for job seekers and adds flexibility to their lifestyle, with many contingent workers choosing to work on a project basis and take extended leave between projects.

From an employer perspective, engaging contingent workers on a contract basis provides access to industry specialists with an impressive variety of experience from key players in their industry, often allowing them to obtain deep insights and analysis they would not otherwise have access to. Engaging specialist contractor talent provides an outsider perspective that almost always enhances the abilities and efficiency of the full-time permanent employees.

The rapid rise in the use of non-permanent staff over recent years has created an increased demand for highly skilled specialist contractors to assist with key projects and in times of increased volume. This trend has made the role of the recruitment agency even more crucial as employers attempt to access the highest level of talent for their projects.