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Public relations companies are increasingly using a freelance workforce, a study has found.
A survey by Leeds Metropolitan University says the advantages of employing freelancers include their flexibility and the fact that they give companies access to specialist skills which may be expensive to run on a full-time basis.
The study, carried out on behalf of a freelance agency Prxchange, was based on interviews with 986 freelancers and 421 clients.
Employers cited costs and the absence of overheads as the main benefits involved in using freelancers.
The survey revealed that 67 per cent of organisations employ more than one freelancer at the same time. It also found that employers are using more freelancers than last year and expect to use the same number or more next year.
More than half the freelancers questioned (51 per cent) said they were more productive when freelancing, with the main factors being "fewer interruptions" and fewer "unnecessary meetings".
