With an increasing shift to contracting work among Australia's skilled workforce, HR platform Remote is launching the Contractor Management Plus feature to connect global employers and independent contractors more efficiently and effectively. The platform incorporates advanced safeguards against misclassification risk, including global compliance and indemnity coverage of up to $1 million.

Remote's Contractor Management Plus aims to answer the tight labour market conditions and fluctuating permanent work opportunities in Australia. Currently, 1.0 million independent contractors, comprising 7.5% of the employed population, are active. This aspect of the workforce is expanding, as increasingly more skilled personnel consider contract engagements for their professional alignment owing to flexibility and relative security.

This feature allows businesses to tap into the most skilled contractors globally, catering to numerous administrative processes associated with cross-geographies job markets. The features introduced tend to localise employment according to the contractors' place of residence. They align employment standards with local regulations, support currency-agnostic invoicing, and simplify payment processes through smart invoice approvals and automatic payments. Additionally, they offer self-driven onboarding options, reducing administrative burdens.

Unveiled on January 25, 2024, Contractor Management Plus provides features designed to mitigate misclassification risks. It allows companies to review and manage their misclassification risks actively, offering the option to convert international contractors to employees through Remote’s Employer of Record service. Furthermore, it provides a $1 million indemnity-backed warranty that the contracts will not expose companies to risks of misclassification.

Contractor Management Plus offers several features to manage and pay global contractors. Currency-agnostic invoicing lets contractors bill clients in their preferred currency and guarantees payout amounts while clients make payments in their currency. Automations and bulk actions augment the hiring and onboarding process for numerous contractors globally, facilitate bulk creation and signing of contractor agreements, and enable smart invoice approvals and automatic payments. A self-service feature for contractors lets them onboard and verify their identities, track and bill all their clients from a single point, and automate their freelance business operations.

The Contractor Management Plus service is priced at $99 per contractor per month, while Contractor Management Standard costs $29 for each active contractor per month. Both product offerings of Remote provide transparent pricing without hidden fees and a free 30-day trial.

Job van der Voort, Remote's co-founder and CEO, elaborated on the challenges faced while managing global contractors. "Navigating different regulations or ensuring efficient payment halfway to another part of the world poses a myriad of challenges," he said. "We're dedicated to offering tools that simplify these intricate processes, helping companies manage their global workforces without a hitch and remain compliant."