Covid-19: S’pore freelancers in some sectors hit hard, but others such as nurses see more demand

SINGAPORE — Freelance lighting technician Kegan Vennard, 31, has been home without work for the last three weeks.

He is among many gig-economy workers who have taken a large financial hit from the Covid-19 outbreak that has dimmed the lights on shows and large events islandwide.

Demand used to be so steady that Mr Vennard could plug away for several weeks without a day off.

But his assignments have thinned to a trickle since Singapore raised the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) risk assessment from Yellow to Orange on Feb 7.

With only one job lined up later this month at Gardens by the Bay, Mr Vennard — who works on concerts and theatre productions — expects to earn only S$200 or S$300 in February, a drastic drop from his average takings of S$3,000.

But the outbreak’s impact on the gig economy is uneven: Other freelancers with varied sources of income are getting by — for now.

Freelance actor and educator Jeremy Leong, 25, said his drama-education classes at three preschools are still going ahead.

This is despite three theatre shows and a project being delayed, which means his earnings will dip by 30 per cent.

“As a freelancer, I have learnt not to be discouraged,” he said.

“The nature of freelance work is such that you’re working on multiple projects now or in the future. In a way, I still have income coming in, but it may be later in the year.”

There are about 196,000 “own account” workers — self-employed persons who run their own trade without employing a paid worker — in Singapore, based on figures from the Manpower Ministry. They made up about 9 per cent of Singapore’s employed residents last year.

MIXED PICTURE ACROSS GIG ECONOMY

While the hardest-hit freelancers include taxi and private-hire car drivers who are receiving help from transport operators and the Government, others — from arts professionals to fitness instructors — are also seeking ways to prop up their earnings.

Nevertheless, some roles — such as freelance caregiving — have not been hit as hard, said representatives from the labour movement.

Mr Ang Hin Kee, assistant director-general at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), told TODAY that tourist guides, drivers of taxis and private-hire cars, and performers have been among freelancers badly affected by the outbreak.

Nevertheless, demand for roles such as freelance nurses and nursing aides is on the rise, said Caregiver Asia, an online platform linking freelance caregiving professionals to those who need their services.

Chief executive officer Yeo Wan Ling said demand for its services has risen by 50 per cent since the virus emerged in Singapore last month. Nurses, nursing aides and temperature screeners account for much of the increase on the platform, which has 10,000 caregivers in Singapore.

Freelance nurses, for instance, have been dispatched to private and public hospitals as more wards are opened, said Ms Yeo.

“If you have skills in healthcare, this is a good time for you,” she added.

But freelancers in other sectors have been hit in the pocket.

Mr Mike Yoong, 57, a freelance group-exercise instructor in places such as ActiveSG sports centres and corporations, said things went south after Singapore raised the outbreak response level to Orange and many classes were called off.

Even for sessions that are still continuing, attendance has been halved.

He expects to lose more than S$2,000, or about 40 per cent, of his average monthly income of S$5,000 to S$6,000.

“It means that I have to tighten my belt. I cannot spend as easily as I like,” he said.

He plans to use this downtime to sharpen his skills in areas such as information technology and marketing.

For freelance fitness instructor Nicholas Choy, 28, earning almost three quarters less than his typical takings of S$6,000 to S$8,000 has put a dampener on his plans to get married in the middle of this year.

He intends to put off those plans for a year. “There’s still uncertainty and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few months,” said Mr Choy.

COMMITTED TO HELPING FREELANCERS, PART-TIME WORKERS

As freelancers face a rough ride, some production houses and companies have pledged to help them weather the slowdown.

There have also been ground-up movements to support these workers. A Facebook group started about a fortnight ago to explore ways for freelancers in the creative and cultural sectors to help one another has already garnered more than 1,500 members.

Mr Derrick Chew, artistic director of Sight Lines Productions, which has had to postpone shows on account of the outbreak, said that his theatre company has made it a point to pay its freelancers part of their fees first to tide them over.

“Freelancers are not on a regular payroll, and in terms of the impact, it’s really great. These people are really struggling,” he said.

Mr Pang Fu Wei, managing director of retailer Mothercare Singapore, said that his firm has not cut any of its 15 part-time workers.

“We’ve only started to feel the negative impact of Covid-19 and we will have to wait and see how long this crisis might last,” he said.

“To me, cutting jobs will be the absolute last option.”

LESSONS FOR FREELANCERS

NTUC’s Mr Ang said the fallout from the coronavirus shows that people who are considering a freelance career have to spread out their streams of income by doing work for multiple clients and to save for a rainy day.

They should also take the opportunity to upgrade and diversify their skills.

Ms Jean See, acting director of NTUC’s freelancers and self-employed unit, agreed that it was important for freelancers to prepare themselves for a slowdown.

She said the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003 was an “awakening” for some freelancers to the urgency of diversifying their revenue streams and to have reserves that could tide them over for at least several months.

“It is a career that can be viable and sustainable,” Ms See said.

“However, like all careers, you need to be prepared for some of the risks and downsides.”