sign saying gig, job, work According to research, 40 percent of external workers say “this is just what I'm doing right now.” They may go on to become internal workers if the right opportunity comes along. (Image: Shutterstock)

Employers and their HR departments are shifting their talent management strategy to be more agile and scalable by investing more heavily in contract workers, freelancers, independent consultants–aka, gig workers.

What employers and HR fail to realize, however, is that workers engage in these arrangements for many of the same reasons as the employer: they like the flexibility and freedom to go their separate ways after the job is done.

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Emily Payne

Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.