Businesses across Southeast Asia are engaging independent talent at rates ranging from USD 250 to USD 1600 per day to scale faster: Outsized's 2025 Talent-on-Demand Report reveals critical hiring trends and most in-demand skills

SINGAPORE, March 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies across Southeast Asia are increasingly building teams and capabilities by integrating independent professionals across functions and levels. Skills in high demand include strategy, data, digital transformation, core technology and marketing.

Top skills in demand across Southeast Asia: Outsized 2025 Talent-on-Demand Report

According to Outsized's 2025 Talent-on-Demand Report, organisations are integrating independent talent for various reasons; from execution roles to strategic project delivery, with professionals across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia earning between USD 250 to USD 1600/day, depending on the type of skill and experience level.

With freelancer registrations surging by 88% and Southeast Asia attracting rapid foreign investment, demand for specialised independent professionals is set to rise across key sectors, such as renewable energy, e-commerce, data centres, digital financial services, and supply chain transformation. Companies are moving beyond traditional workforce models, integrating on-demand specialists with permanent teams to accelerate growth, drive transformation, and execute at scale.

Key findings at a glance:

• Most in-demand skills: Strategy, business transformation, product management, project management, marketing, and data analytics.
• Sectors driving the shift: Consulting, FMCG and Financial Services, leveraging independent professionals to scale capabilities across strategy, execution, and operations.
• Freelancer growth: Registrations up 88%, showing strong demand for flexible expertise across experience levels.
• Day rates based on varying expertise, experience, and location:
  • Project managers in Malaysia: USD 225 to 835/day
  • Strategy consultants in Indonesia: USD 425 to 1,250/day
  • Business transformation specialists in Singapore: USD 575 to 1,200/day

Additionally, in the field of data and analytics, experts are executing complex data strategies, commanding daily rates between USD 350 to 925 in Singapore, while talent in Malaysia are commanding USD 250 to 725 for the role. Similarly, marketing and product management specialists, including digital marketers, UX professionals, and product managers, are securing competitive rates ranging from USD 460 to 925/ day and USD 225 to 625/ day in Singapore and Indonesia, respectively.

A transforming workforce: Agile talent takes centre stage

Outsized, a leading talent-on-demand platform with over 45,000 independent consultants and professional freelancers globally, has released its fourth annual Talent-on-Demand Report, offering real-time insights into how businesses are leveraging independent professionals. Based on tens of thousands of proprietary data points from actual projects posted by enterprises, consulting firms, and private equity clients, the report provides a comprehensive breakdown of talent costs, hiring trends, and in-demand skills across APAC, MENA, and Africa.

For the first time, the 2025 edition also includes insights from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), expanding its global workforce intelligence.

"Southeast Asia is at a talent tipping point. With AI, digital transformation, and automation reshaping industries, businesses are shifting fast to hybrid talent strategies, integrating specialists with full-time employees to execute complex initiatives and build core capabilities in a more flexible way. Those tapping independent professionals aren't just scaling faster and smarter; they're fundamentally reshaping how they can compete and innovate." — Anurag Bhalla, CEO and Managing Director (APAC), Outsized

Why this matters for business and HR leaders

The 2025 Talent-on-Demand Report serves as a blueprint for workforce transformation, enabling leaders to:

• Benchmark talent costs and optimise external hiring budgets.
• Identify emerging workforce trends across APAC, MENA, and Africa.
• Gain exclusive day rate intelligence across a broad range of industries and skill sets.
• Understand how top firms leverage independent talent to accelerate digital transformation and maintain a competitive edge.

Access the full report here

Staying ahead of workforce trends demands real-time intelligence and actionable market insights. Outsized's 2025 Talent-on-Demand Report serves as a strategic playbook, providing business leaders with essential benchmarking against industry peers. Armed with these insights, leaders can quickly identify emerging talent shifts, optimise hiring budgets, and build agile workforce strategies. Access the full report to stay ahead of the curve: https://resources.outsized.com/talent-on-demand-report-2025.

Access the report now 

About Outsized

Outsized is a talent-on-demand platform with over 45,000 top independent professionals, enabling large enterprise clients, consulting firms, and private equity funds in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East to implement flexible workforce models at scale. For more information, please visit www.outsized.com.

source: Outsized