PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a UK-based company whose function is as an online platform giving businesses access to thousands of skilled freelance experts in hundreds of different fields.
Founded in 2007 by Xenios Thrasyvoulou and Simos Kitiris, the company has offices in London and Athens. Businesses opting to use the website are often start-ups or SMEs looking to grow flexibly by hiring freelancers to handle projects rather than hiring in-house or via agencies. Jobs start from little as an hour (“Hourlies”) and can be ramped up as needed to build whole teams online, meaning the model is scalable all the way up to global enterprises. They operate as part of what has become part of the “talent cloud” with thousands of freelancers, offerings a range of skills on a flexible and efficient basis. They also promote the benefits of freelancing as a means to allow people to live more freely, working where and when best suits their chosen lifestyle.
As the leading marketplace for freelance talent in the UK, PeoplePerHour hold a powerful insight into the self-employed segment of the labour market and have created and collaborated on numerous research projects on SMEs, freelancing and the gig economy and provide resources for new and growing businesses and those looking to pursue a freelance career.
There is some debate as to whether the emergence of this type of freelance marketplace is part of a longer-term structural change in the way that companies across the world manage their human resources. Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics show that 358,000 more people aged 65 or over are currently working than was the case a decade ago. Usage statistics from PeoplePerHour indicate that the number of retirees looking for work using the website has increased by 137 per cent during 2012.
Source: Wikipedia
