Is It A Good Idea To Recruit Freelance IT Consultants?

Recruiting new resources to support your existing teams, whether for temporary or long-term IT projects, can raise questions about the need for additional salaried employees, or on the other hand, one or more freelancers. Whether you require new skills or simply strategic or operational reinforcements, recruiting new profiles is a strategic internal challenge. 

With the rise of freelancing, it can be easier to find independent consultants than profiles seeking to join your workforce. This leads to discussions about the differences between in-house and freelance recruitment, as well as the advantages and potential risks of each approach. If you need help deciding which recruitment method to choose, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons carefully. In this article, we will go over the nuances of this decision-making process, exploring key aspects that business leaders and decision-makers need to consider. From dissecting the cost differences to uncovering the advantages of hiring freelancers for specific projects, we aim to provide insights that enable informed decisions. 

Freelance vs. salaried: what is the cost difference?

The decision to recruit freelance IT consultants or maintain a salaried workforce is inherently tied to cost considerations. While it goes without saying that the freelance model offers more flexibility, easier access to specialized skills, and project-based engagement, the financial implications must also be taken into account. When considering social security contributions, employers’ contributions, the number of hours worked, equipment provided, bonuses and more, the conventional assumption that full-time recruitment is a cost-effective choice is quite easily challenged.

While freelance rates may seem higher at first glance, it’s important to factor in the additional costs associated with hiring a full-time employee. Here are, at a glance, the costs associated with each profile:

Costs Linked to Hiring a Freelancer :

• Hourly rate or set project fee
  

Costs Linked to Hiring a Full-Time Employee :

• Salary
• Bonuses
• Health insurance
• Annual leave entitlement
• Retirement account matching
• Payroll taxes (such as Social Security and unemployment)
• Equipment provided (laptop, desk, screens…)
• Other perks

When you take all of these factors into account, you will likely find that hiring freelance IT consultants can actually be more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees. This is especially true for short-term projects or when you need specialized skills that are not readily available in your existing workforce. So, if you’re considering hiring IT consultants, be sure to factor in the additional costs associated with hiring full-time employees over hiring freelancers. You may be surprised at how much you can save.

The advantages of hiring a freelancer for your IT projects

In addition to the cost savings outlined previously, there are many other advantages to hiring freelance IT consultants for your projects. Here are just a few:

• Increased flexibility: One of the primary strengths of hiring freelancers is the inherent flexibility they bring to the table. Freelance IT consultants offer a great deal of flexibility in terms of project duration, commitment, and work hours. This can be a major advantage for businesses that need to quickly ramp up or down their IT staff, or that have fluctuating workloads.
• Access to a wider talent pool: This access to more diverse talent means that you can find the right consultant for your project, regardless of their location or experience level.
• Specialized skills: Freelance IT consultants often specialize in specific areas of IT, such as frontend web development, Magento backend development, data analytics or many more specialities. This means that you can bring in a consultant with the exact skills you need, without having to invest in training your existing staff.
• Fresh perspective: This new perspective can allow you to solve issues you’ve been facing in new and innovative ways, and can help you to identify new opportunities throughout your project. 
• Reduced risk: Hiring a full-time employee can prove risky. The IT landscape is notorious for its fast employee turnover rates. This can cause stress and lead to additional costs being incurred. Hiring freelance IT consultants can help to reduce these risks, as you are free to stop working with them if they are not a fit for your needs, or you can prolong contracts if everything is going great.
• Scalability: Freelance IT consultants are great when it comes to scaling teams quickly. This can be a major advantage for businesses that are experiencing rapid growth or who work within industries strongly affected by seasonality.

Energize your projects with freelancers

Freelancers often bring a higher level of energy, and motivation to your projects, providing new insights and exciting new perspectives to consider. This is hugely impacted by the fact that they have actively chosen to work on your project with you, rather than being assigned to it by an employer. As a result, they are more likely to be fully invested in their work and committed to delivering results. This can also impact your employees as this new energy on the team with new outlooks on the work can, in turn, motivate everyone else; 

There are several reasons behind freelancers’ motivation:

• Autonomy and control: Freelancers can choose which projects to work on, how to manage their time, and where to work. This sense of ownership can be very motivating for freelancers.
• Variety, challenge and growth: Thanks to the regularly evolving roles they find themselves in, freelancers are constantly learning and facing new challenges. Learning new skills and growing their careers is a big motivation factor.
• Financial success: Freelancers have the potential to earn a significant amount of money if they are successful.

As a result, freelancers are often more motivated than full-time employees. This win-win scenario can lead to better results for you and your projects.

How can you attract top freelance talents?

Now that you know all the benefits, both in terms of costs and work ethic, of working with freelancers, you might be interested in finding out how exactly you can hire the best possible freelance talents for your team. The single best tip we could give you would be to work with a managing company like Hightekers.  

By working with us, you enable your freelance consultants to access employee benefits, ranging from health insurance to daycare, vehicle leasing and travel expense compensation depending on where they are in the world. Let’s dive a little deeper into the benefits of working with Hightekers, both for you and for freelancers.

Freelancers typically have to pay for their healthcare themselves, as their freelance status does not entitle them to full healthcare coverage in the same way that being an employee does. By partnering with leading insurance providers, Hightekers offers a range of healthcare plans tailored to individual needs, ensuring that freelancers have access to quality medical care. Whether it’s routine checkups, specialized treatments, or emergency care, Hightekers ensures that freelancers have the support they need to stay healthy and productive.

At Hightekers, we also manage all of the paperwork involved for both the company that is hiring and the freelancer that is being hired. This frees up a significant amount of time for both parties and is definitely a favourite for freelancers as, if there’s one thing freelancers hate, it’s paperwork.

We also provide freelancers with international contracts, allowing them to work from abroad permanently or as digital nomads as they travel around the world. This is a definite pro for many freelancers, as they hugely value their independence and mobility.

Hightekers also provides freelancers with a network of IT experts around the world. They can connect with their peers to discuss anything from job propositions to the best way to set up in any country they’re interested in moving to, to any other topic related to freelancing in their sector. This can provide freelancers with valuable opportunities and insights. 

All these elements combined allow freelancers to benefit from the freedom of their status, whilst also enjoying the benefits typically associated with full-time employment. This will allow you to attract top talent, keep them happy, and make them more likely to stick around. 

So, hiring freelance IT consultants can be a cost-effective and efficient way to meet your ever-changing IT needs. The advantages freelancers bring—such as flexibility, project-based efficiency, and intrinsic motivation—are undeniable and can provide your projects with a benefit.  By working with a management company like Hightekers, you can ensure that your freelance consultants access the same benefits as your full-time employees. This will help you to attract and retain top freelance talent, and it will also help your freelance consultants to be more productive and efficient.