3 most popular sectors for hiring a contractor

Today the contractor industry plays a significant role in the growth and development of the global economy. Contractors offer services to various businesses, from start-ups to global organisations, providing them with the expertise and resources they need to complete their projects effectively and efficiently. 

Before we delve into the list, let’s determine what a contractor is. A contractor is an interim hire utilised by employers to combat talent shortages and skills gaps within a business. Contractors can be found in almost any industry and often specialise in a specific skill set that the market demands and constantly needs.

With the demand for contract work still a major talking point in 2023, we’ve decided to explore three of the most popular sectors for hiring a contractor, the industries they fall into and some of the common contract jobs within the space. 

1. Product Management

Without product management, the vision of a product's inception, the stages of development it goes through and how it is brought to life would not be met. Those working within the sector oversee the complete product lifecycle, ensuring the end result meets the expectation of the business producing the product and the needs of the consumer who buys the product. 

3 industries looking for product management contractors

Although the industries relating to product management are vast, we've narrowed this list down to the three most popular contractor positions for a product management contractor to work in.

Technology

Arguably one of the most evolving and ever-expanding industries known today, the technology industry is a space where contract work thrives, especially in the form of Product Managers. Whether to support tech projects requiring temporary assistance or to help get a product to market in a short time frame, be it a software or device, product management plays a crucial role within the tech industry Contractors within this niche can add immense value to businesses in need of a quick solution to their hiring challenges and keep up with the competitive market. 

FMCG

Organisations within the FMCG industry seek contractor Product Managers to assist with talent and skills shortages. Interim Product Managers can seamlessly enter a business within the FMCG industry and develop roadmaps for the wider team to follow, from developing the product to creating promotional campaigns. Product Managers can oversee the team making the product, for example, cosmetics or food products, ensuring they follow the strategy they have set or what was set to them by a previous Product Manager, eliminating the stress of missing product deadlines and producing sub-par results.

Finance

Companies operating within the financial services space understand the importance of Product Managers and see the value in contract hires within this role. As contractors are typically more experienced professionals, finance companies can utilise their expertise when developing products for their brands. Whether to better understand the market and what customers value to improve their stakeholder engagement strategies or to overcome the difficulties relating to digital transformation, contract Product Managers can provide an interim solution to tackle all of these business challenges.  

2. Data and Analytics

In recent years the importance of data and analytics has become more renowned by global brands as a way of understanding customers' demands and forecasting market projections. However, as businesses look to invest more into the invaluable tool of data and analytics to overcome various obstacles and real-world issues, the current economic climate has made hiring permanent talent in this space more challenging. Thankfully, contractors within this space can offer employers an alternative and more cost-effective solution. 

3 industries looking for data and analytics contractors

Many organisations are seeking contractors within this space as an alternative to hiring permanent employees to not overspend on their allocated budget. Here are three industries that are doing just that by hiring contract Data Analysts.

Construction

Data and analytics add significant value to businesses within the construction industry. This can cater to the design phase, where analysis of stakeholders on social platforms can determine the best location for a build, to the build phase, where data can be used for considerations regarding the purchase of equipment. Additionally, data and analytics can support the final construction and monitor the performance of a build. Finally, contractors within this space can help all of the above on a temporary contract to keep construction costs down without hindering the project standards.

Retail

Anticipating customer wants and needs is a primary challenge the retail industry is constantly tasked with overcoming. Data and analytics can assist retailers with these issues, from knowing what products are sought-after and when to ensuring availability through supply and demand. Data analytics can be used to map the market of consumer behaviours, improve customer experiences, support campaigns and improve conversion rates for retail businesses. Contract Data Analysts can be onboarded into your business to fill an immediate gap where skills are scarce and highly sought-after. 

Media and Telecoms

Businesses within media and telecoms can onboard data and analytics contractors as interim solutions to help meet consumer expectations. With the growing demand for more diverse and varied content, a Data Analyst contractor can use their expertise to collect and analyse insights into the media formats a brand's customers prefer and through what channels they want to receive this content. Interim talent specialising in this niche can provide recommendations to businesses and help them implement better content strategies to engage with and ultimately retain their customers. 

3. Content Marketing

The value of content marketing cannot be underestimated as a way of entertaining, educating, convincing and inspiring customers and clients to purchase your products or invest in your services. However, engaging with customers with content is no easy feat. Many businesses struggle to produce great content consistently or lack the resources or budget to create material to promote their offerings.

3 industries looking for content marketing contractors

From written content in the form of blogs and case studies to video, podcasting and webinars, the range of content formats is vast and almost limitless. The same can be said for the channels content can be distributed, be it social media, websites, email, etc. However, recognising what content to produce and where to publish it can be a headache for many organisations, which is why so many in the below industries turn to content marketing contractors.

Entertainment

With consumers constantly eyeing up the next viral trend, companies in the entertainment industry are always scouting for the next big thing from a content perspective to elevate their brand above the competition. As an interim solution, you can bring in content marketing contractors to offer advice and to help strategise and innovate the content that will support your next marketing campaign. Due to the flexibility of a contractor, you can call upon their services as and when you require an additional creative mind in the marketing department to inspire your marketing team and generate your desired results. 

Real Estate

Commercial and residential real estate can benefit from the support of a content marketing contractor. For example, property buyers require educational content to help them find what they're looking for within a crowded market. In contrast, property owners and landlords rely on content to help them convince a buyer or tenant to invest in their real estate. Content marketing contractors can temporarily fix these pain points, helping real estate agencies and property owners position their content better without committing to permanent employees they may not have the budget to afford. 

Professional Services 

When people seek support from professional services, they often look for valuable information to support them on their journey to solving their own challenges. Content marketing can go a long way to helping customers, and clients get the resources they are looking for and is, therefore, something those within professional services should not overlook. Interim Content Marketers can be the temporary fix to advising on what content would work best while seamlessly cultivating the content needed by the professional service outlet to support existing customers and win new clients. 

Thinking about hiring a contractor? Talk to us today!

If you are looking to enhance your business by hiring a contractor with the skills and experience needed to help get your time-sensitive projects over the line, we can help! At 3Search, we understand the need for businesses to remain relevant in the competitive market landscape and recognise how temporary and contract solutions are an excellent way of maintaining growth within an organisation. 

As specialists in contract recruitment, we have access to the people who can resolve your interim staffing needs. So get in touch via email or call us at 0204 551 8800 to see how we can help you.