Around 9 in 10 professionals in MENA region will freelance this year – survey

Around 9 in 10 professionals in MENA region will freelance this year – survey

Freelancers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are now experiencing a surge in demand, a new survey has revealed.

A total of 88 per cent of respondents plan to do more freelance work this year, Bayt's 2021 Freelancing in the MENA survey, covering 4,296 respondents from regional countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen and others, suggests.

MENA professionals are seeking a more flexible lifestyle, with greater independence and fresh business opportunities. According to the respondents, the best aspects of freelancing include exploring more career opportunities (50 per cent), flexibility (23 per cent), better work-life balance (22 per cent) and reduced stress levels and improved health (5 per cent),

The biggest reasons leading to the surge of freelance work include earning extra income (55 per cent), learning new skills (24 per cent), practicing what they like (11 per cent) and the ability to control their work schedule (7 per cent).

According to the survey, outsourcing work to freelancers presents multiple benefits as they are better at meeting tight deadlines (52 per cent), while hiring freelancers is cost-effective (17 per cent). Furthermore, freelancers are good for contingency planning between hires (16 per