More workers choosing ‘agile’ employment over full-time: Study

Full-time employment isout, and the “agile workforce” is in.

A new study called “Workplace 2025” from staffing company Randstad US found that a greater number of workers and employers are opting for freelance, consultant, temporary or contract opportunities instead of traditional full-time positions.

“This study has shock value as it predicts we will see significant change for the workplace and workforce of the future,” Jim Link, chief human resources officer at Randstad North America, told Metro. “It’s truly a wakeup call for business and HR leaders who need to better understand and prepare for a significant change in how we all work.”

The number of companies building an agile office jumped to 46 percent from 18 percent in 2012, and 46 percent of workers surveyed personally chose not to be full-time.

“One of the most surprising findings is workers’ perception that being ‘agile’ offers greater job security,” Link said.

This growing trend is driven largely by Millennials, who are looking for “flexibility” and “experiences” over titles and climbing the proverbial corporate ladder, the study found.

“This mindset shift, combined with the growing availability of collaborative technologies to facilitate work from anywhere, anytime and on any device, means that working a traditional 9-to-5 day in an office will be obsolete,” Link said. “It’s not just about telecommuting or flexibility — 56 percent of agile workers said it makes them more money, too.”

According to the study, the average salary for an agileworker is $77,180.

More than 3,100 full-time, temp, contract, consultant and freelance workers participated in “Workplace 2025,” as did more than 1,500 C-suite executives.