White-collar gigs help women keep working in the layoffs season

In nine months from April 2022 to Dec 2022, there was a 3X increase in the number of women consultants registering for white-collar gig roles from the technology sector, according to data and research from the white-collar gig platform FlexingIt. For the same duration, the overall number of women consultants stayed stable.

“We have seen this surge in women consultants joining from the technology sector. This could partly be due to the recent disturbances in the traditional job economy, leading to several high-quality professionals opting to freelance,” said FlexingIt founder Chandrika Pasricha.

Historically, technology has had the lowest number of women consultants amongst all sectors. It is the least gender-balanced skill as well as industry category.

However, that has begun to change with the hybrid, flexible, and gig work starting to find acceptance among employers.

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Between April and December 2022, one-third of the new registrations of consultants were women and of which 26% were with experience in the technology sector. Women in white-collar gigs in technology sector find themselves in a unique position as on the flip side, research shows that in gig roles, the lowest gender pay gap now is in tech skills – an indication of high demand. This could be a key reason for women taking up gig roles in larger numbers, say experts.

“Gender pay parity is easier to achieve in freelancing and could pave the way for the women workforce at large. For example, in skill areas like technology, where projects can be broken down into very clear deliverables, data indicates that the gap in per diem project fees is lowest at 5%, versus a 30-40% overall gender pay gap,” said Pasricha.

FMCG sector and marketing roles are the most gender-balanced sector and skill with nearly 45% of the consultants being women.

In white-collar gig, certain roles or skill areas have been historically skewed towards women, by virtue of providing greater flexibility, safety, and women-friendly work environments – for example, HR and finance, vis-a-vis manufacturing or sales projects, research shows.

“Women professionals are seeking a sustainable and equitable work environment, which is becoming more accessible with the growth of freelancing and the acceptance of remote and hybrid work,” Pasricha said.