Freelance Platform
1. Background
Freelancing has recently become popular in Saudi Arabia and an increasing number of youth are choosing self-employment and flexibility over the traditional forms of employment favored by older generations. However, Saudi freelancers did not have the means to officially document the work they were doing, which meant that they could not enjoy the benefits and services available to them from the Saudi government.
2. Client Requirements
As an initiative to govern and encourage freelancing in Saudi Arabia while providing Saudi nationals with job opportunities, Our client decided to create a freelancing certificate using a quick and easy platform. The certificate would, in turn, entitle freelancers to enjoy the benefits and services provided by relevant government entities.
3. The Challenges
The biggest challenge eSpace faced was the need to alter the project scope and design regularly. This flexibility was required for two main reasons. First, new benefits offered by the Saudi Government required registration that needed to be added to the system. The other reason was user feedback. From the beginning of the project, our client had been user-oriented and was always quick to implement
the feedback received so as to provide a better user experience.
4. The Solutions
eSpace created The Freelance Platform (FLP), an online system with an easy-to-use interface allowing freelancers with different technical skills to become certified. These certificates allowed holders to access the services and benefits provided by the Saudi Government. The system was designed to verify all new users using the Ministry of Interior’s database. A single user could acquire up to five different certificates with different professions. Even today, our team continues to work closely with with our client to further enhance the freelancer’s experience and allow more benefits to be added.
5. The Outcome
Since FLP’s launch in October 2017, the platform has served over 35K freelancers working in over 120 different occupations. FLP was successful in creating a link between freelancers and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and continues to provide a means by which these two entities can interact efficiently and productively.
