Winds of change

If you’re old enough, you might be thinking: what does a cheesy power ballad from the 90s and the freelance and consulting market have in common? Well, given the circumstances they unfortunately are intertwined.

Quite contrary to what many consultancies are saying, we see a slightly declining demand for freelancers and consultants. It’s still high compared to pre-pandemic levels, but it is decreasing. We often use the demand for project managers as a trend signal. Fewer project managers unequivocally mean fewer projects, and fewer projects lead to fewer people with other roles being needed in the future.

At the same time the number of available freelancers and consultants in Brainville is increasing. The same goes for the number of sent applications. In the seller’s market of 2021 these number were quite low, since it was relatively easy to get assignments. This is slowly changing.

“Winds of change” was written as a welcoming gesture to eastern Europe before the fall of the Soviet Union. It welcomed the democratization of these countries.

The winds have changed yet again for some countries, Russia in particular. Yesterday, the Russian president issued partial mobilization to get more troops to the war in Ukraine. A war that has led the world astray. Instead of focusing on more important issues, such as the climate, we’re preparing for a long, cold, and expensive winter. Rising energy and food prices and the resulting inflation are the consequences of one man’s decision, straining our economy. But of course, this is nothing compared to the suffering of the Ukrainian people.

All this leads to people and companies being more prudent and careful with spending, which of course leads us back to the freelancing and consulting market. We hope we’re wrong in our conclusion. Base your own conclusions on the facts presented in Konsultrapporten.

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