In response to the new world of work, Milwaukee-based company offers health care, mentorship, and other benefits to growing number of freelancers.
September 15, 2020 (MILWAUKEE)—There is no way around it, the workforce is becoming more diverse and demanding more flexibility. As a result, a large portion of the workforce is turning to freelance work. In fact, according study “Freelancing in America: 2019,” 57 million Americans were freelancing in 2019 (about 35% of the total workforce) and that number continues to grow. Additionally, Forbes reports that independent workers contributed $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy this year.
However, it is not only the workforce that is demanding change to how we participate in the world of work. Employers are also looking for flexibility in staffing solutions without sacrificing quality of talent and ROI or workplace culture. These needs have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing unprecedented uncertainty to both staffing and business planning.
Talimer, a human-centric talent marketplace, connecting tech freelancers/independent workers with dynamic enterprises, recently launched to fulfill the needs of this “new world of work.”
“It’s time for businesses to be able to consider freelance as a competitive weapon and more easily connect with difficult-to-access, highly skilled and in-demand professionals,” said Erica Conway, Co-Founder of Talimer. “Just as important, Talimer’s platform reduces hiring bias and intentionally increases inclusivity, diversity and access to underrepresented freelancers. These drivers, in addition to our focus on jobs and benefits, propels our ‘Freelancer First’ mentality.”
Diversity in the tech industry is particularly troubling. In fact a recent article by CNBC states that African Americans and Latinx make up only 1-3% of the workforce at major tech companies.
“Diversity and inclusion are ideals we’ve been dedicated to in our professional lives for years. Like much of America, we are tired of how long it has been taking to make real progress,” Conway continues.
In addition to a focus on DEI, Talimer is providing solutions to perceived challenges associated with freelance work.
“The most notable, traditional uncertainties freelancers grapple with are the lack of benefits available including health care and retirement plans and the ability to access consistent, reliable work,” Conway explains. “To combat these concerns, we first applied our decades of experience in career matching and technical platform development to create a unique process to best match freelancers with businesses. Then, we put our “Freelancer First’ mission into practice by providing access to quality health care, allowing freelancers to set their own rates, and charging a transparent fee to businesses.”
Furthermore, recent research shows that over two-thirds of the working population was working remotely at least part-time in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has driven many businesses to realize that there are many benefits to offering remote work options, boding particularly well for freelancers who often work remotely.
“Our focus on fit provides freelancers who are more engaged and dedicated to providing an impact on every project,” Conway continues. “It’s important to understand, especially with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the pace of business and technology is constantly changing. Accessing a highly skilled and flexible workforce helps organizations more efficiently adapt to change.”
Talimer is currently in the pilot phase of their start-up. Initial roles they are filling include front and back end development, web designers, UX/UI researchers and designers, project managers, iOS/Android developers, quality assurance and business analysts. “These are the roles that are in highest demand based on what our freelancers and business partners are telling us,” says Conway. “We plan on expanding to additional roles as the market demands them.”
Conway is also the owner of C2, a traditional local staffing agency that serves the Milwaukee creative community. Talimer is co-founded by Ken Ostermann who was most recently with Harley-Davidson in a variety of Marketing and Digital leadership roles for over 20 years. “It’s time to stop thinking about independent work as a way to fill seats, and start thinking of it as a way to add rocket fuel to the engine that drives businesses into the future,” Conway concludes. Talimer is launching in the Midwest but has plans to expand across the U.S. To learn more about Talimer please visit www.talimer.com.
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Any Questions? Have an Interview Request?
Ken Ostermann, Co-Founder and COO, Email: Ken.Ostermann@Talimer.com, Phone: (414) 788-1107
Sara Hood, Media Relations, Email: Sara.Hood@Talimer.com, Phone: (262) 716-1928
ABOUT TALIMER
Talimer is blowing up what’s wrong with the “gig economy.” By putting freelancers first in a one-of-a-kind marketplace, we’ll grow and empower a diverse community of tech professionals to feel fulfilled, confident and secure in their lives. We’ll do this by providing them access to jobs, benefits and business tools while making it easier for businesses to secure these highly skilled, hard-to-find, on-demand freelancers. To learn more about Talimer please visit www.talimer.com. To see Talimer’s available job opportunities, please visit www.talimer.com/job-opportunities.