Freelancer teams up with Malaysian government to get low-income groups into work

Earlier this year, global outsourcing marketplace Freelancer made its way to Malaysia with a localized language feature to further attract locals in the country. Following this, it now looks to help the lower income groups in the country, particularly fresh graduates.

To do this, it recently inked a partnership with Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), a government agency focusing on providing support to ICT companies in Malaysia. MDeC is currently working on a project to use online microsourcing to help low-income households. This partnership means Freelancer will aid in enhancing the potential of underprivileged communities in Malaysia.

Its part in this project is to provide assistance to the bottom 40 percent of communities in the country by aiding them with the technical knowledge to navigate through the Freelancer website and match their skills to online jobs available on the platform.

Freelancer reports around 4,000 new jobs daily across different industries on their platform. They pay an average of $200 per project. Given that Malaysia currently has a 19 percent poverty rate, the outsourcing firm aims to offer a higher chance for these communities to establish their professional careers online.

Potential to lead in Asia

Freelancer regional director for Southeast Asia Evan Tan says the collaboration with MDeC will help them “extend reach to the rest of the Malaysian population, particularly fresh graduates and those of the lower income group.”

Evan highlights that Malaysia has the potential to become a top outsourcing hub in the region. With over 100,000 users in Malaysia to date, Malaysia ranks eighth in Asia and the 20th globally in number of users. Freelancer is expecting this to increase through the partnership with MDeC.

MDeC CEO Datuk Badlisham Ghazali recognizes that this initiative has a promise to “uplift the standard of living of the lower income group through digital economic means.” He adds:

This is also a great avenue for organizations and businesses looking to keep their operational costs down by utilizing the services of freelancers.

MDeC will also help out with an awareness program to drive participation from students from low income families by getting them to register on Freelancer.

Apart from Malaysia, Freelancer is also present in the Philippines. In the last two years, it has also expanded into Singapore and Indonesia.

(Editing by Paul Bischoff)