Aquent has released the results of the first-ever study of flexible workforce use from more than 500 leaders across marketing and creative disciplines. The survey, "Trends in Marketing: Flexible Workforce Strategies," found that organizations are leveraging an external workforce to gain subject matter expertise, meet key objectives, and alleviate stress on their internal teams.
Notably, nearly two thirds of marketing and creative teams already use flexible resources, and team leaders expect their use of freelance talent to grow between 18 and 35 percent in the coming year. Marketing leaders are building a pool of flexible marketing and creative talent amid concerns that their internal teams will remain the same or decrease in size over the next year.
The survey also revealed that:
- Ninety percent of marketing teams of six or more use freelance talent.
- SEO, e-commerce, writing, and creative projects are more likely to be outsourced to staffing firms or independent contractors.
- Forty-five percent of organizations use a flexible workforce to help offset headcount freezes.
- One third of organizations use a network of flexible talent "as a testing ground for potential full-time team members."
"The flexible workforce has become an integral part of creative and marketing teams," said Aquent President Ann Webster. "We're pleased to share insights that help our clients make the most of these resources."