Personnel service Hays (www.hays.de) conducted a survey asking 161 department manager in the engineering industry about their views on the use of external engineers.
The overall image: External engineers have good chances – no matter the size of the company.
Technical expertise, project-related experience and the ability to work in a team are the core capabilities that companies require.
The current situation in Germany is as follows: Every second company in Germany likes to outsource, because the use of external resources helps them to survive hard times and times of high orders. Two-thirds of respondents said that external engineers were a good and cheaper alternative to permanent positions. The companies could resort on special knowledge in limited time again and again without hiring permanently, because the external engineers are only needed for one project. The result is a high-level flexibility, which contributes a lot to a successful work.
However employing freelancers is also holding challenges for the companies:
62 % of the respondents see a challenge in the long learning curve of external engineers. Moreover, according to a third of the respondents the cost-benefit ratio might also argue against freelancers instead of permanent employees. However a work council veto decides only at 5% of the respondents against employment of an external engineer.
In cooperation with external engineers it is important that a willingness to integrate is found on both sides – freelance and permanent members of the team.
It is important that they show a will of integration inculding that the fixed employed team accept the freelancers. About 82% of respondents like defined processes and rules in dealing with external engineers and see them as an important factor for success.
Does this survey fit into your experience in practice? We are looking forward to your feedback.
