DEVELOPMENT OF FREELANCING IN GEORGIA

Abstract

In Georgia, as a developing country, due to a number of employment problems, in recent years the so-called A number of directions of the gig economy, including platform-based freelancing.

Freelancing is an important part of the digital economy, however, due to a number of factors, there is a scarcity of statistical data and information in general in many countries. Georgia is no exception, where the above-mentioned direction of employment is at the initial stage of development. All this, in turn, leads to the scarcity of scientific research, which makes the ideas about the development of freelancing in the country vague and prevents the creation of a base for future research.

In recent years, the development of freelancing has been particularly accelerated by the advent of digital platforms. Georgia is not an exception, however, the situation of such web pages in Georgia needs to be studied to some extent. Accordingly, the research of the mentioned direction necessarily implies the study of freelance platforms as well. To achieve this goal, a desk study was used, where the information obtained using the relevant search engine was processed based on the search criteria. As a result, the current state of freelancing in Georgia was described and a number of important issues were analyzed. The results of the work will be important and interesting both for researchers interested in this issue and for any person.

A step forward in reducing the scarcity of statistical data on the global freelancing market is the automatic calculation of the online labor index created in recent years. It has been calculated automatically since 2016. In recent years, the online labor index has been characterized by seasonal and non-seasonal fluctuations, however, the trend is still increasing and compared to 2016, today it has doubled. Compared to other fields of activity, the field of software and technology makes a special contribution to such growth. This is not at all surprising, because this is the activity that meets almost all the criteria of remote and freelance work. The highest indicator of the index comes from the USA and the highest market share belongs to it, which is partly due to the calculation of the online labor index on the basis of English-language platforms.

The development of freelancing in Georgia is mostly following the path of developed countries, however, we are also facing interesting events. For example, in the early stage of development, already in the penitentiary system, there is a freelance social enterprise for the employment of convicts.

In Georgia, separate platforms produce such statistics as registered employers, projects, registered freelancers and others, however, the mentioned data do not allow to see a unified picture. As mentioned above, there is a need to develop a common data representation mechanism.

Finally, it should be said that digitization of many markets is a sustainable and growing trend in the future. Over time, more and more professions and activities will transform and meet the criteria of freelancing.

Keywords: Georgia; Digital Economy; Freelancing; Digital platforms; Online Labor Index.