18: Open Talent and the Gig Economy

ISG Imagine Your Future Podcast

The ISG Imagine Your Future podcast is back after a short break with a new host, Steve Hall. In Steve’s first episode in the driver’s seat he welcomes back former IYF podcast host and colleague Barry Matthews to discuss the subject of open talent and the gig economy.

Talent platforms, which allow enterprises to tap into global or distributed talent pools to resource, deliver or ideate solutions, are set to become one of the next big disruptors for business over the coming years.

Companies are increasingly accessing skills such as graphic design, automation expertise and software development, to name but a few, through these global talent pools via secure digital platforms. Because of such platforms, the geographical location or even educational background of talent is less relevant than their experience, availability and enthusiasm to work.

Contracts tend to be short term and results oriented and suit the increasing number of people operating as freelancers in the gig economy. For these workers, flexibility is the watch word that allows them to work when and where they like.

Listen in as Hall and Matthews discuss how the global pandemic has fast-forwarded the development and uptake of these talent platforms and brought them into the mainstream. Matthews predicts that they will play a significant role in the global shift toward freelance work, which, he says, suits the millennial mindset.

As a generation of young people very comfortable with the concept of “on demand,” millennials are willing to take responsibility for their personal and professional development, facilitated by talent platforms, on a scale not seen in previous generations.

Join this fascinating discussion on how these open technology platforms are shaking up the structure and modus operandi of businesses, helping them leverage the very best talent across the globe.