The Ultimate Guide to Consulting Platforms
Consulting platforms are online marketplaces connecting freelance consultants and clients. These platforms provide a space where businesses can find and book consultants and experts to provide support across specific industries and functions.
The rise of consulting platforms in the last decades shows a clear shift in the global workforce landscape. They have become essential, enabling companies to access a vast pool of talent worldwide.
Additionally, many leading organizations are finding it critical to access top-tier external consultants. As reported by Forbes, the recent trend of “quiet hiring” by companies is crucial for “acquiring new skills without actually hiring new full-time employees”, creating a blended workforce where “full-time permanent employees work side-by-side with freelancers”. McKinsey suggests that 25% of professionals prefer flexibility and independence of agile talents, estimating that 50% of the corporate workforce will be made up of full-time, regular employees.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of consulting platforms, answering these questions:
- Why are consulting platforms becoming essential for businesses?
- What are the main benefits of engaging with consulting platforms?
- How to engage with consulting platforms?
The Rise of Consulting Platforms
Freelance platforms have seen exponential growth in recent years. As of 2023, the freelance market is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 15% between 2022 and 2030, with up to 162 million freelancers in Europe and the United States, consisting of 20 to 30 percent of the working-age population. Moreover, 70% of freelancers report they find their clients through online freelance platforms, and only 11% rely on more traditional sources such as word of mouth and referrals. Considering management consultants only, 90% of corporate leaders have shown interest in hiring freelance consultants to move to hybrid staffing models featuring a flexible, blended workforce.
Freelance platforms offer a marketplace for businesses to browse profiles of freelancer consultants based on skills, experience, location, or other criteria. This can be a solution to the rising problem of talent gaps for companies. As per PwC, 79% of CEOs described talent gaps as a significant impediment to growth and performance, and “quiet hiring” is becoming a driving solution to this issue. A prime example of this situation is Google, which has more freelance workers (54%) than regular, full-time workers (46%).
By 2030, the freelance platform market is projected to reach $14.39 billion, driven by several key factors. According to Consultport’s “