The rise of more flexible working arrangements should be unsurprising to leaders and hiring managers. By 2019, workers around the world were already re-evaluating their career trajectories, frequently opting to explore more gig and parttime work as they pursued more fulfilling opportunities. The pandemic only accelerated that trend, as the Great Resignation gave workers seeking a different kind of experience a chance to find employment at companies that value their unique skill sets and give them the freedom to innovate. Increasingly, workers are foregoing tenure in favor of working on projects that excite them and speak to their values—and increasingly, they’re happy to do it.
The contingent labor market boomed in 2023, with a Future of Work Exchange and Ardent Partners study finding that 49% of the enterprise workforce was contingent (and that figure was likely to grow).