Event to Support Wellington ‘Gig Economy’ Earners

Wellington, Monday 29 July 2019 - A networking event designed to bring Wellington freelancers to connect with local businesses, will take place Wednesday 31 July 2019 in partnership with Biz Dojo, Hnry and Skinny Fizz, supporting the new wave of independent earners.

Unicorn Factory, an online directory of New Zealand freelancers says this event that will aim to support the growing segment of society which are non-permanent workers, with freelance speakers sharing knowledge on topics such as branding, Google Adwords, and Instagram algorithms.

Founder Connor Finlayson says the freelance market is growing, with more people making the move to freelancing, noting over 27% of his members stepped into freelancing while being still employed.

“I think people are choosing the freelance lifestyle because of the flexibility it gives them, and also the ability to do what they love doing for a living. The internet and software that has been developed over the last three to five years has made it feasible to do work remotely. Businesses are also starting to reap the benefits of having a freelancer strategy in their business,” says Connor Finlayson.

According to Stats NZ figures released earlier this month, there are approximately 144,000 New Zealanders working as self-employed contractors, equating to over 5% of all employed New Zealanders.

Along with new independence comes a wave of new responsibilities with a recent survey by Hnry, an award-winning end-to-end tax agent service, stating that 35% of self-employed people indicate that they find it hard to do good work, due to worrying about tax and compliance.

“We know firsthand that being a freelancer or contractor can sometimes feel as though you have to do everything by yourself, or fly solo all the time - and communities like Unicorn Factory bring together freelancers in an awesome way, that gives everyone an opportunity to meet others, to learn, and to find out more from their peers. For freelancers, given that they don’t have a permanent ‘job’ or fixed place of work, opportunities to truly connect with peers can be limited. That’s why we’re so excited that Hnry can be involved in this Unicorn Factory event, to help provide those opportunities for freelancers and contractors to connect,” says CEO James Fuller.

Founded in 2015, founder Connor Finlayson says Unicorn Factory’s membership is growing with 200 member requests coming through over just the past three months. The networking event is on Wednesday 31 July, 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Biz Dojo, 115 Tory Street, Te Aro, Wellington.

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