Digitalized Freelancing: Where the Sky has No Limits / Iraq

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In an era where technology is sweeping, digital working models open new opportunities, especially for young labour force as they provide new revenues, more flexible working hours, and reduce dependency on local economies. Where online, remote work may have been a prerogative for a relatively low proportion of labour force, the COVID-19 outbreak has made it a new normal. Despite its massive negative global economic impact, the pandemic has also contributed to catalysation of digital transformation and opened the doors wider for the expansion and creation of new digital jobs.

For RDPP’s partner in Iraq, Mercy Corps, technology enabled employment creation was one of three livelihood tracks for Syrian and Iraqi youth participating in the “Youth-Oriented Innovative Employment and Livelihoods towards Durable Solutions (YIELDS)” project. Having commenced in December 2019, based on previous Mercy Corps experience from Gaza, the project has piloted approaches to linking youth to national and international online marketplace opportunities within the broader gig economy, primarily through advanced coding training and online marketing approaches.  “The project is a natural progress of Mercy Corps’ work in Iraq; since 2017, we’ve worked with participants to provide specific skills training for job placements and business support with a focus on the supply. With YIELDs, we began to focus on the demand, and give an opportunity to young digital freelancers to find jobs beyond Kurdistan Region’s geography”, says Hassan Waleed, Mercy Corps’ Senior Program Manager. “The freelancing component was a new concept to both the job seekers and job providers (employers) in Iraq, so we engaged our colleagues in Gaza to introduce this component and explain to our participants the benefits of freelancing. Our participants, in particular the females, were positive about that they have the flexibility to work from home and overcome the social boundaries that have restricted their freedom to access jobs in the past”, adds Hassan.

For Ranwa, 25-year-old refugee from Syria, YIELDS was an opportunity to change her career and follow her passion. “I have a BA in software engineering, I had a full-time employment for a year, but it wasn’t the career I wanted, and the salary was low. I have a passion for graphic design, and I wanted to work on my own. And even before YIELDS, I took the risk, left my job, and attended trainings in graphic design in two different places”, says Ranwa. Luckily for Ranwa, YIELDS started looking for youth to join the project only a few months after she finished her most recent training. She then joined the YIELDS coding academy and the freelancing component. “I learned to use different online platforms to build up my portfolio as a freelancer, how to use social media to promote my work, how to communicate and negotiate with customers, and also, how to introduce my work to customers from writing an email to organizing and sharing my samples”, Ranwa added. It did not take long for Ranwa to have her first customers right after graduating from YIELDS mid-2021, and she is currently working on two projects with one client in Erbil and another in London. “Personally, I benefitted the most from the training on social media promotion with YIELDS; I have learnt to use several freelancing platforms to promote my work and find customers,” Ranwa adds, listing her preferred online platforms where individuals can register their profiles, upload portfolios and connect with potential clients. “Most of the freelancing platforms do not connect with Iraqi banks, and the only alternative for the banks is PayPal which doesn’t work in Iraq. We have to be creative when it comes to negotiating our fees and getting paid as freelancers now. Sometimes we also need to make compromises, but for me, it’s worth it because I own my business now”, says Ranwa. When asked if she worries about sustaining her income, Ranwa is optimistic that opportunities will always be available, “With digital jobs and freelancing, the sky is the limit, as I can work with anyone anywhere. Mercy Corps equipped us with skills and equipment such as laptops and software to support our ability to make an income both within the local market but also beyond Kurdistan”.

While Ranwa have started to build up her own full-time business as a freelancer, for Abdulbasit, a 22-year old Iraqi from KRI, freelancing complements his full-time job. “I currently have a full-time employment, but it’s not enough in terms of income. As a software engineer, I have the flexibility to do freelancing work in my free time to increase my income,” says Abdulbasit. The training facilitated by Mercy Corps provided Abdulbasit with training on the technicalities of freelancing. He is now supplementing his income by offering specialised online services to various customers. “The skills and equipment Mercy Corps provided us with were enough to kick-off my freelancing work. Now, I have the passion to start my own business and to build a team that can provide a full service in software”, says Abdulbasit.

Ranwa and Abdulbasit are just two out of the ninety young skilled digital freelancers, who graduated from the Gaza Sky Geeks Freelancing Academy through the YIELDS project in Erbil and Sulaymaniah in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.  The refugee, IDP and host-community youth were equipped with a range of skills to excel in the gig economy and to explore potential job opportunities in the technology sector. The RDPP-supported project, YIELDS, has contributed to the ability of youth to become self-reliant and to explore, innovate and create income generation opportunities beyond the geographical boundaries of their current homes. Mercy Corps sees a potential for YIELDs project to scale up to expand the freelancing intervention, and to work with the private sector in moving towards more modern digitized working models.