The Future of Jobs: The Intersection of Freelancing, Outsourcing, and Unemployment

Unemployment is one of the social problems of Bangladesh. As many people are becoming employable every year, there need to be more provisions for employment in the country. The vast majority of the unemployed are highly educated. According to a Bangladesh Development Research survey, 66% of educated unemployed people are currently in the country. The reports of the Economist Intelligence Unit in London say Bangladesh has the highest number of educated unemployed in the world. According to the International Labor Organization, the number of unemployed in Bangladesh is about 3 crore, which is acceptable according to experts.

Bangladesh has the most employment opportunities in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Although the people of Bengal have been agriculturists for a long time. But in today's so-called modern social system, agriculture and industrial work are neglected. On the one hand, the rate of educated unemployed is increasing day by day, on the other hand, they do not want to do agriculture and industrial work. 

Therefore, Freelancing can be an optimal solution to the unemployment problem in Bangladesh. With determination and a hard-working mindset, it is possible to build a successful career in freelancing. Another thing closely related to freelancing is called outsourcing. Freelancing and Outsourcing are often considered synonymous terms. But in terms of work, both subject is entirely opposite. Various types of outsourcing work on demand are called freelancing. Those who earn a fixed amount of money as per contract without working under any fixed rule are called freelancers. Freelancers are also called independent professionals. On the other hand, outsourcing is the name of getting work done by freelancers. The person who gets the work done is called the outsourced contractor.

Freelancing is a great way to earn money for those who don't want to stick to the rules of employment. Currently, the 3rd highest foreign currency earned in Bangladesh is from the freelancing sector. But many people don't have a clear idea about how to earn money through freelancing. For example, an American businessman plans to build a website for his organization. But there is no web developer in his organization for this task. Also, hiring a web developer for this one job is expensive. Then an easy and cost-effective way for that businessman is to hire a freelancer. Most of the freelancers in Bangladesh are earning the same or more money by doing contract work online than they do by working for multinational companies.

Now the question is where to find these jobs? The answer is the marketplace. The marketplace is the place where work is exchanged between freelancers and their clients. Outsourced contractors post their job requirements on many online platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancers.com. On those platforms, freelancers get work according to their skills. But these days, there are various fields of work for freelancers outside of the marketplace.

Currently, there are about 1 billion freelancers in the world. According to information from the ICT department of Bangladesh, the current number of freelancers in the country is more than 5 lakh, whose monthly income is above 40 thousand takas. But a skilled freelancer can earn around several lakh takas per month. With adequate training, more people in the country can be brought into freelancing. Job seekers, entrepreneurs, students, and housewives can do freelancing if they wish. Some of the popular freelancing jobs are: 

• Graphics Design
• Web Development
• App & Software Development
• Digital Marketing
• Video Editing
• Motion Graphics
• 2D/3D Animation
• Cyber Security
• Cloud Computing

Beyond these jobs, it is possible to become a freelancer by acquiring skills in any demanding job. Generally, freelancers do not have a fixed salary like job holders. How much money a freelancer can earn depends on his skills, type of work, and contract. However, if you want to know more information about this, you can open an account in various marketplaces and get a detailed idea. There it is possible to get a comparative idea about the type of work, and remuneration. It is possible to earn an average of 5-100 dollars per job. But if a freelancer is skilled in his work, his remuneration increases manifold.

Many are tempted to earn money through various websites and mobile apps, most of which are scams. A little money can be earned through these websites and mobile apps, but it will not play any role in someone's career formation. In order to establish yourself as a skilled freelancer, it is necessary to acquire skills in a specific field. By gaining skills, anyone can build their own business online, not just freelancing. For freelancing, you must have a secure and uninterrupted internet connection.

A major problem of the educated unemployed in Bangladesh is that they have no specialized skills besides formal education certificates. The education system of the country is largely responsible for this problem. The universities of the country teach subjects that have no professional connection with the job market. Every year about 4-5 lakh students are getting an education degree. A study by the Bangladesh Development Research Institute revealed that 66% of the students who graduated from the national university are unemployed. According to a report by the British magazine Economist, 47% of Bangladeshi graduates are unemployed. The graduate unemployment rates in neighboring countries are India at 33%, Pakistan at 28%, Nepal at 20%, and Sri Lanka at 8% respectively.

According to a survey, only 3% of educated youth in Bangladesh are creating their own employment by becoming entrepreneurs. In this case too, lack of adequate skills, knowledge, and opportunities for entrepreneurship are the impediments. Educated unemployed people to study BCS year after year hoping to get a government job. About 1.5 lakh students appeared for the 36th to 40th BCS exams, but less than 10000 of them got placements. Due to chasing the golden deer called BCS, a large part of the educated youth of Bangladesh cannot be used in the manpower of the country. As university degrees do not get jobs and many educated people remain unemployed even after BCS exams, freelancing can be the only solution to the country's unemployment problem.