Faces of Freelance: How ethnic minorities are shaping the future of freelance
It is a dangerous mistake to see the last two years as only revolved around a global pandemic. This oversight dismisses BLM and the historic surge of awareness into the structural issues that have faced black and ethnic minority communities for generations.
It would be a further mistake to view these problems as existing over the pond, in America solely. Right here in the UK, these problems exist on multiple levels of society. As a diverse team who recently launched a platform that aims to help freelancers find work, I can personally see how deep-rooted this issue is within the world of work. Employment discrimination is pushing more and more talented BAME individuals towards the world of freelancing.
Due to a media which is far from helpful in defeating racism within society’s work, a certain image of BAME freelancers is created. This image is of low-skilled workers, participating solely in the gig economy, for low wages. These issues within the gig economy certainly exist. However, we need to ask why so many talented BAME workers are finding themselves in such positions. The traditional labour market is plagued with stuffy, older, white, male corporate bosses, causing prejudice and discrimination. This discrimination results in a situation where BAME people are two or three times more likely to be unemployed when compared to their white counterparts. Therefore, sharp talent and skill that could certainly fill gaps in today’s ever-changing economy are being overlooked.
Ever since launching introu, our freelancer focused collaborative platform, we have seen a completely different side of the picture emerge. We have seen a whole host of BAME freelancers, side-hustlers and solopreneurs sign up to our platform, offering services and talent ranging from FinTech to graphic design. This exciting growth of BAME freelancers clearly does not exist in isolation. In London, there are 213,000 BAME freelancers. Between 2010 and 2018, the London freelancer seen recorded a whopping 112% increase in black freelancers alone.
Despite this promising potential, there are still troubling issues that are holding BAME freelancers back. Great ideas and start-ups require confidence and financial backing. When applying for investment from financial institutions or private investors, many BAME freelancers are faced with the same stuffy, corporate snobbery and racism that they previously faced when job-seeking. This discriminatory attitude creates barriers to entry that hold back talent and ideas.
Secondly, many BAME freelancers face difficulties in getting noticed in what can be a crowded freelancing scene. Platforms such as Upwork are large databases of individuals searching for freelance work. It is, therefore, easy for anyone to get lost within. This struggle is only increased for BAME freelancers. Jibril Sulaiman, the founder of Incluzion.co, a great platform in the States helping BAME freelancers, explains this struggle well, describing how he would often have to lower his rates to compete, even if he possessed the same or superior skills to his white counterparts.
Freelancing is set to skyrocket in the next decade. By 2035, there will be 1 billion freelancers worldwide. However, there’s still so much to do to smash through these barriers. At introu, we place freelancers directly in touch with businesses from within existing networks, preventing anyone from getting lost in the vast and often discriminatory maze of online freelancing platforms. We promote organic and direct lead generation by arranging meetings between small businesses and freelancers. We are an intimate, aware and diverse team with a recognition of these systematic problems and a goal to eliminate them. The talent pool of BAME freelancers is growing exponentially. We want to connect it with exciting small businesses to see it thrive.
