English Article

Freelancing Can Help the Unemployed

Md. Zillur Rahaman: Online dependence is growing globally with the COVID-19 pandemic over the time and there are more Internet browsers now than ever before. Although people around the world have been living under house arrest due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but all the necessary activities have not stopped. Most of the activities are going on through virtual and it has opened up new horizons for online income.

Many people are choosing different means of online income as part-time and full-time work to earn extra income by sitting at home without using extra time or conventional office by using lazy time. The availability of technology and internet has made this path smoother and wider, it has brought a golden opportunity for the freelancing.

আরও দেখুন:
◾ ফ্রিল্যান্সিং এ সফলতার মূলমন্ত্র দক্ষতা ও ধৈর্য
◾ করোনা মহামারী বেকারদের জন্য ফ্রিল্যান্সিং কাজের সুবর্ণ সময়

Freelancing is one of the most popular sources of online income. Freelance marketplaces or companies offer job opportunities based on the qualifications and skills of those who work as freelancers. One has to open an account with the information of his skills and apply for the job. On the other hand, there are various individuals and organizations to provide work. It is possible to earn from five to one hundred dollars per hour from freelancing sites depending on skill and experience.

ব্যাংক, ব্যাংকার, ব্যাংকিং, অর্থনীতি ও ফাইন্যান্স বিষয়ক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ খবর, প্রতিবেদন, বিশেষ কলাম, বিনিয়োগ/ লোন, ডেবিট কার্ড, ক্রেডিট কার্ড, ফিনটেক, ব্যাংকের নিয়োগ বিজ্ঞপ্তি ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের সার্কুলারগুলোর আপডেট পেতে আমাদের অফিসিয়াল ফেসবুক পেজ 'ব্যাংকিং নিউজ', ফেসবুক গ্রুপ 'ব্যাংকিং ইনফরমেশন', 'লিংকডইন', 'টেলিগ্রাম চ্যানেল', 'ইন্সটাগ্রাম', 'টুইটার', 'ইউটিউব', 'হোয়াটসঅ্যাপ চ্যানেল' এবং 'গুগল নিউজ'-এ যুক্ত হয়ে সাথে থাকুন।
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Although it is difficult to bring money for freelance work, now it is very easy to bring money through various gateways and online payments. Famous freelancing sites like Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, Fiverr, Worknhire etc. In fact, freelancing is the name of working outside the set rules at the time of one’s choice and according to the type of choice. In other words, freelancing is the process of working independently, not under a specific organization.

Unlike employees, they are not paid, depending on the job and the contract, the amount of income may be more or less, but there is a freedom of choice, at will, the opportunity to earn from any country in the world at home and that is why it is a convenient way to earn income for independent people. So, by freelancing we mean the work that is done through computers and the internet and the work is for foreigners (mainly Western and European countries) and the receipt is in US dollars, British pounds or Euros.

Wages are very high in developed countries (America or Europe). If a company needs to create a website, then if they have to hire a web designer, they have to spend a huge amount of money. The same work can be done with a web designer from another developing country (whose wages are much cheaper) for a relatively small amount of money. So, the people of those countries get it from a country like ours at a lower cost, it benefits both of them. This can be done very easily in the current internet system.

Freelancers bring foreign remittance to the country through their work online. Millions of young people are playing a role in the development of the country by collecting remittances. Although they contribute to the elimination of unemployment, socio-economic development of themselves and the society, they are very hesitant about their social identity. Posters on blogs or at training centers show dollars flying from computer screens, as if no one was catching them or counting dollars on their feet. These are exaggerated propaganda about this. However, for those who are very skilled in this profession, it is absolutely true and practical.

There are hundreds of freelancing sectors. The most talked about and in-demand sectors are design, web development, mobile development, programming and software, networking, writing, support (collaboration with services / products), sales and marketing, management, etc., in details about 70/80 freelancing can be done.

Work can be done sitting at home, in the mess, in his own room, on campus, in the vehicle, wherever he feels like or feels comfortable. All the famous sites of freelancing work are- Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Guru, Nineteen Designs, People Per Hour etc. and PayPal, Pioneer are all international means of transaction on freelancing site. Freelancers usually have no work deadlines. There are no hard and fast rules. It depends on the agreement of the freelancers with the client. In most cases, the freelancer may have to work at night.

However, it is important to remember that no matter what work is done, it should be done knowingly and keeping in touch with the client at all times and these things help a lot in new work in the future. There are six lakh IT service workers or freelancers in Bangladesh and the number of team based freelancing companies is about 1600. About US$ 500 million a year in foreign remittance is earned through the people involved in this industry.

According to freelancers, the rise of e-commerce and the demand for online tools have created golden opportunities for freelancers to work. Moreover, the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic was that global businesses were trying to reduce costs to corporate entities. Freelancers who have not redesigned and redesigned their services to meet demand are suffering from the epidemic.

For example, IT service providers related to travel and tourism have been significantly affected by the downturn in the sector, according to industry insiders. Independent freelancers, however, are finding it difficult to bring in payments accepted by their international employers. Prior to 2012, the issue of outsourcing income in Bangladesh was initially accepted through illegal channels.

Although some of the money came through bank-to-wire transfers, it was expensive. Bangladesh Bank then issued a notice, arranging for freelancers to withdraw money to their bank accounts through the Online Payment Gateway Service Provider (OPGSP). A few months later, Bank Asia became the first lender to launch an OPGSP initiative called Paiza Pay, a freelancer income partner. Since Paiza Pay did not connect well with freelancing platforms, independent online workers also did not have much opportunity.

The bank later partnered with the world’s second largest OPGSP Payoneer and launched its services in March 2015. According to freelancers and Bangladesh Bank, Bank Asia receives half of the funds received through official channels. According to Bank Asia, freelancers have received US$ 599 million through the bank since 2014. The trend of payments through private commercial banks in Bangladesh has increased by more than 40 percent annually, reaching US$ 140 million in 2020.

In 2018, in partnership with Bangladesh Software and Information Services (BASIS) and MasterCard, Bank Asia announced the launch of Bangladesh’s first freelancer card ‘Swadhin’. The card allows freelancers to make payments directly from international employers. BRAC Bank, Dutch-Bangla Bank, Islami Bank and Sonali Bank are also payment channels for freelancers. Bangladesh Bank issued a notice in February, arranging for IT freelancers to receive low value earnings at home through mobile financial services.

According to the Bangladesh Freelancers Development Society (BFDS), “While there are many options for receiving money, the absence of PayPal, the largest network, remains a major problem for freelancers.” The government has been providing 10 percent cash assistance since 2013 for the export of ICT products or services. However, only non-government IT companies and freelancing companies that are members of BASIS are eligible. However, the issue needs to be expanded for the benefit of individual freelancers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, large organizations are leaning towards freelancing work. Analysts say the demand for freelance jobs has multiplied as companies have become accustomed to virtual workplaces and the opportunity to work from home. To reduce costs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are shifting from permanent staff to freelance workers, and this is a golden opportunity for the unemployed to work.

Writer: Md. Zillur Rahaman is a Banker and Freelance Columnist.

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