Remote Developers Are Part of the Liquid Workforce
The concept of a liquid workforce (see Forbes, Banco Santander, etc.) is mostly about this: A part of the workforce is not permanent and can be adapted to dynamic market conditions. In short, in a liquid workforce, a proportion of the staff is made of freelancers, contractors, and other non-permanent employees. Today, it is reported that about 20% of an IT workforce, including software developers, is liquid in a significant part of the Fortune 500 companies.
Actually, working as a freelancer has been a common practice in the media and entertainment industry for a long time. Many other industries are catching up to this model today. From the gig economy to the increasing sentiment stemming from Gen-Y and Gen-Z’ers that employment should be flexible, multiple catalysts are contributing to the idea that the liquid approach is likely to continue eroding the classic workforce.