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Employers turn to freelancers to fill tech skill shortages following global layoffs, reports Freelancer.com

FREELANCER.COM

Freelancer.com (ASX: FLN) (OTCQX: FLNCF), the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted, today released its quarterly Fast 50 Index for Q3 2022 which reveals insights into the fastest growing freelance projects and most in-demand skills. The index, which is based on data from 296,000 jobs posted on Freelancer.com between July 1 to September 30, 2022, reveals a major surge in tech-related jobs in Q3 when compared to Q2 2022 and Q3 2021. Android App Development (up 80.5%, from 1,082 to 1,954) ranked as the fastest growing project type in Q3 2022 when ranking the percentage growths from all 2,000 skills available on Freelancer.com. This was followed by AJAX (up 66.4%, from 1,059 to 1,763) and API (up 59.5%, from 1,587 to 2,532) jobs which are both skilled related to website and software development. The sudden surge in tech-related freelance jobs first observed in Freelancer’s Q2 2022 index, comes off the back of global tech layoffs and hiring freezes across the so-called ‘tech winter’, that started with a ‘crypto winter’, as informed by Freelancer.com in earlier Fast 50 reports. According to a tech layoff tally, more than 42,000 workers in the U.S. tech sector lost their jobs in 2022. Tech-related jobs dominated the rankings when comparing Q3 2022 to Q3 2021 year-on-year. Software Development jobs were the fastest growing skill (up 54.7%, from 1,587 to 2,442), while jobs for Coding ranked as the second highest growing skill (up 45.5%, from 1,004 to 1,461) and Backend Development came in third (up 37.7%, from 1,111 to 1,530). “The macroeconomic environment, tech winter and nosebleed inflation has led to an almost daily string of announcements of layoffs. The most similar event was the Global Financial Crisis where we saw three trends: businesses looking to cut costs and going online to hire freelancers, people looking for work online and a lot of startup businesses formed to bridge people through hard times. However this was mostly contained to the United States. We think that heading into 2023 we could see this all over again, but on a more global scale,” said Matt Barrie, Chief Executive at Freelancer.com. These layoffs may also increase the amount of startups being founded, not only across the US but also in Europe, with skilled people being cut from bigger organizations, but with experience either building their own companies or working in highly successful startup environments, as described by Alan Poensgen, in his Fortune article of October 5, 2022. Fast 50 Q3 2022 vs Q2 2022 Analysis Employers look to freelancers to plug tech skill gaps Overvaluations and dropping stock prices have caused mass hiring freezes and layoffs across the tech companies globally in 2022. According to online tracker Layoffs.fyi, there have been 83,173 layoffs from 661 startups this year, as of October 2022. This is almost half of the total of 179,164 tech layoffs since the beginning of COVID-19. These layoffs, which accelerated in May 2022, have contributed to increases in tech-related jobs across the platform. While Android App Development dominated Q3 and was ranked as the fastest growing job on Freelancer.com, employers have been turning to the platform to support niche, highly specialized tech projects. AJAX, which is used to develop websites, and API, which allow software programs to communicate with each other also took second and third place, respectively. Niche skills in AngularJS, a toolset for building apps, and Codeigniter, a toolset for web development, equally rose by 22% in Q3. “Michael Milken said ‘the defining characteristic of the 21st century was the competition for intellectual capital’. There’s a chronic skill shortage in western nations, forcing businesses to go to the Internet to find talent. Freelancer.com has the largest online pool of talent in the world.” said Matt Barrie. Projects seeking experts in Amazon Web Services (AWS) grew by 27.6%, from 3,004 to 3,834 jobs in Q3, while Software Development continued its growth from Q2 with a 18% increase from 2,069 to 2,442 jobs in Q3. Artificial Intelligence jobs also grew by 15.9%, from 1,055 to 1,223. Marketing Trends - Marketers turn from SEM to SEO, YouTube & traditional This quarter, the data revealed shifting trends in marketing and advertising. Projects for Search Engine Marketing (SEM) fell by almost a third (30.4%) in Q3 - from 2,300 jobs to 1,600 from the previous quarter. On the other hand, digital marketing, traditional marketing and YouTube jobs spiked in interest. Most commonly, in Q3 employers are looking for support with SEO ranking. Blog Writing jobs, which are usually associated with businesses hiring freelancers to write SEO-friendly blog content, increased by 55% in Q3, from 1,058 to 1,642 projects. Digital Marketing also saw a 23.1% increase in Q3, jumping from 1,738 to 2,141 jobs. These jobs range from hiring business consultants supporting social media strategies to SEO managers. Notably, Q3 also saw many employers turn to the platform to hire community managers, digital marketing campaign managers and social media managers. Traditional advertising also saw an increase in Q3. Flyer Design projects increased by more than a quarter (27.5%) from 1,658 to 2,114 jobs. A similar increase was also seen for projects relating to Covers and Packaging, which increased by 27.3% from 1,253 to 1,596 jobs. Many employers turn to the platform to crowdsource ideas for packaging labels and shipping boxes designs. When comparing Q3 2022 to 2021, advertisement design is up 15.7%, from 1.516 to 1,755 jobs. “With the onset of new digital marketing channels, businesses are learning that their strategies must diversify and move away from primary channels, such as SEM. Paid advertising alone is no longer the most viable alternative. What we are witnessing is demand for freelancers with skills in social media, short video platforms, earned & owned content, SEO and a whole spectrum of marketing strategies that before were in the realm of large corporates only,” said Hector Perez-Nieto, Marketing Director at Freelancer.com. Jobs seeking YouTube skills were the fifth fastest growing skill in Q3 2022 - growing by 32.3% from 1,138 to 1,505 jobs. Many of the jobs seeking YouTube skills are related to vertical videos and Shorts content. While there was a 10% increase in TikTok related skills and projects seeking TikTok content creators, employers seek YouTube and video editing skills three times more. Companies turn to freelancers for lead generation & customer support The layoffs aren’t just affecting tech roles, but also sales and customer services roles across businesses. Over the last quarter, there was a significant increase in demand for customer service, customer support and sales-related skills on the Freelancer platform. While virtual assistance jobs have always been a popular freelancing project type, Q3 2022 saw an increase in employers hiring virtual assistants. Jobs for Customer Support grew by 30.5% in Q3, from 1,531 to 1,998 jobs. This was also closely followed by Customer Service projects which rose by 27.4% from 1,370 to 1,746. Lead generation and cold calling was also a popular project type in Q3. Jobs to generate Leads jumped by a quarter (25.3%), from 1,387 to 1,738. Sales specific jobs also increased by 18.7% from 2,544 to 3,020 total projects. One boutique recruiting agency in the US successfully hired a freelancer to manage cold calling and follow ups for only US$38 per hour, with a maximum of 40 hours available for the freelancer per week. The platform is also used by mortgage brokers to source sales virtual assistants to call realtors for loan officers. Ethereum and NFT projects continue steep decline In Q2 2022, Freelancer reported a fall from grace for jobs relating to Bitcoin, Crypto and NFTs, which were once ranked as the fastest growing freelance jobs on the platform for 2021. It’s now Ethereum’s turns as Ethereum-related jobs plunged in Q3 2022. The fastest falling job types on the Freelancer platform in Q3 were Solidity, a programming language used to implement smart contracts for mostly Ethereum based platforms, and Smart Contracts were - declining by -56%, from 1,422 to 613 jobs, and -49%, from 1,442 to 726 jobs, respectively. NFTs jobs were slashed by half (49.5%) in Q3, dropping from 1,424 to only 718 in total. This trend was closely followed by jobs for Ethereum specifically, which fell by 39.9% from 1,173 jobs to only 705. Blockchain jobs also fell by 26.7%, from 3,216 in Q2 but continue to retain interest with 2,357 jobs reported in Q3. Business cards are back in business With corporate and networking events back in action, so are business cards. In Q3 2022, Business Card design spiked by almost one third (30%) from 1,861 to 2,427 jobs. This is the first time since the start of 2020 that projects for Business Cards have grown significantly. ##### Freelancer Fast 50 The Freelancer Fast 50 index is the world’s largest forward indicator of trends in online jobs related to industries, technologies, products, and companies. The data is based on 296,000 jobs posted to the Freelancer platform between 1st July to 30th September 2022. Fast 50 Quarterly Index – Q3 2022 Fast 50 - Q3 Year-on-Year Comparison ###### About Freelancer Twelve-time Webby award-winning Freelancer.com is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by total number of users and projects posted. More than 60 million registered users have posted over 20 million projects and contests to date in over 2,000 areas as diverse as website development, logo design, marketing, copywriting, astrophysics, aerospace engineering and manufacturing. Freelancer owns Escrow.com, the leading provider of secure online payments and online transaction management for consumers and businesses on the Internet with over US$6 billion in transactions secured. Freelancer also owns Freightlancer & Loadshift, enterprise freight marketplaces with over 550 million kilometres of freight posted since inception. Freelancer Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN and is quoted on OTCQX Best Market under the ticker FLNCF. Contact Details Freelancer.com Marko Zitko +61 404 574 830 mzitko@freelancer.com Freelancer.com Sebastian Siseles +1 415-801-2271 sebastian@freelancer.com

October 13, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Getir and No Kid Hungry Partner to Fight Childhood Hunger

Getir

In recognition of Tackling Hunger Month and Children’s Health Month this October, ultrafast grocery delivery app Getir will allow customers to make direct donations to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Additionally, Getir has made a contribution to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign working to end childhood hunger in the US. Getir’s funding will help support programs that feed children and can help provide 100,000 healthy meals*. Along with its contribution, Getir is encouraging its customers to donate to No Kid Hungry while placing delivery orders through its app for the next two weeks, until October 25. Every dollar of customer contributions goes directly to No Kid Hungry and can help provide 10 meals to kids. Additionally, the Getir app will be given a temporary makeover to include No Kid Hungry campaign branding and exclusive artwork for the duration of the contribution period. “Getir is delighted to contribute to No Kid Hungry and do our part to help end childhood hunger for good,” said Darienne Page, Head of Public Engagement at Getir. “As a rapid delivery service operating around the world, food insecurity is at the forefront of what we do on a daily basis. With No Kid Hungry, we know this contribution will go a long way toward providing healthy meals to children who need it most.” Millions of children in the United States are facing hunger, including as many as 1 in 8 kids. Through a combination of emergency grants, strategic assistance, advocacy and awareness, No Kid Hungry works with communities across the country to improve and expand existing programs that feed kids school breakfast, after school suppers and snacks, and summer meals to ensure all kids have access to three healthy meals a day. Getir’s contribution to No Kid Hungry comes at the heels of Hunger Action Month in September, when Getir announced a milestone of 80,000 pounds of food donated to local nonprofits in Chicago, New York, and Boston through its partnership with Copia, the world’s first end-to-end solution that addresses both food waste and hunger. * No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals; your donations help support programs that feed kids. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar. About Getir Getir is the pioneer of ultrafast grocery delivery. The tech company, based in Istanbul, has revolutionized last-mile delivery with its “groceries in minutes” delivery proposition, offering approximately 2,000 everyday items to its customers. Getir has operations in all 81 cities of Turkey, and launched operations in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the United States in 2021. Getir is, first and foremost, a technology company that operates in retail and logistics. It was founded in 2015 by Nazim Salur (founder of BiTaksi, Turkey’s leading taxi app), Serkan Borancili (founder of GittiGidiyor, acquired by eBay in 2011), and Tuncay Tutek (ex-PepsiCo and P&G executive in Europe and the Middle East.) Learn more at www.getir.com/us. About No Kid Hungry No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty. Contact Details Arielle Goren +1 212-717-5863 getir@kivvit.com Company Website http://www.getir.com/us

October 13, 2022 08:00 AM Central Daylight Time

With New Study, Assembly Asks Marketers: “Do you really know Gen Z?”

Assembly

Gen Z Decoded, an all-new study packed with first-hand insights about Generation Z, curated over the course of the past year, is out from global media agency Assembly. Unlike previous studies that seek to understand this evolving and influential group as one whole audience, Assembly prompts brands and marketers to consider this: Gen Z is a series of journeys, each individual and nuanced, dependent on the experiences of Zs in their particular stage of life. Available for download here. The study taps into learnings from Assembly client campaigns [Supercuts, Diesel, and Converse], first-party research powered by Appinio across six markets (UK, US, France, Germany, China, Korea), and additional expert insights curated from Assembly’s Europe Strategy & Insights team. It additionally includes 8 essential principles for brands to build meaningful relationships with Gen Z, as well as a foundational growth plan following the agency’s “Find, Change, Grow” methodology. “As they look to discover themselves, Gen Z is going on an internal journey, often staying fluid and flexible with their own identity,” said Jennifer Brown, Strategy Manager, Europe at Assembly. “They’re in an ever-changing state of discovery across different life stages, so a one-size-fits-all approach from brands isn’t going to work.” The study identifies one of Gen Z’s 6 primary characteristics as “ shapeshifters ”, with 78% of Gen Z believing that people should be able to define their own identity instead of being labelled by society. The fluidity in their identities also extends to their relationships with brands, with 55% of Gen Z stating that they aren’t loyal to any brands. Other key characteristics that distinguish Gen Z: Globally Connected: Gen Z have experienced connectivity unlike any other generation before them. 77% of Gen Z say they have never met an online friend in person, further emphasizing the emergence of digital-only relationships Passionate Disruptors: While they aren’t the first generation with grand ambitions to change the world, Gen Z is the generation that has been armed with the Internet to help them do so. 70% of Gen Z believe they can take part in a social movement through social media Entrepreneurs: By 2025, Gen Z will make up 27% of the workforce, though they’re not necessarily only interested in conventional career paths. 42% of Gen Z say they have a “side hustle” and express wanting to disrupt the way jobs work in the future, many envisioning themselves to be their own bosses Purposeful: While living much of their lives on the internet, Gen Z are also intentional about how and where they are spending their time online, and with who. 27% of Gen Z spend less time on platforms with ads, and 55% of Gen Z in the 18-25 age group are experiencing social media fatigue Vulnerable: Despite their confidence and tenacity, Gen Z put enormous pressure on themselves to carry through on their values; and also despite being so digitally connected, 79% of Gen Z express feeling lonely. “Our advice to brands is: go on the journey with Gen Z and don’t stop learning. It’s all about continuous testing, learning, and adapting, because Gen Z will continue to evolve, so brands should do the same,” said Kristie Naha-Biswas, Head of Strategy & Planning, Europe at Assembly. Access Assembly's Gen Z Decoded here. ABOUT ASSEMBLY: Assembly is the modern global omnichannel media agency, bringing data, talent, and technology together to find the change that fuels growth for the best brands on the planet. Our approach connects big, bold brand stories with integrated, global media capabilities that deliver performance and drive large-scale business growth. Our work is powered by our proprietary, in-house technology solution, STAGE, and led by our global talent base of over 1,600 people around the world. We’re purpose-driven at our core and pioneers in social and environmental impact in the agency world. Assembly is a proud member of Stagwell, the challenger network built to transform marketing. www.assemblyglobal.com ABOUT THE REPORT: Gen Z Decoded for Brand Growth is the culmination of research and real-life experience, looking at the evolution of Gen Z behavior over the past year. This large-scale report is part of a series of thought leadership, roundtables, and research insights about Gen Z, coming exclusively from global media agency, Assembly. Assembly Custom Research Powered by Appinio: Appinio is a global market research platform that enables companies worldwide to get thousands of opinions from specific target groups in just a few minutes. Assembly surveyed a Gen Z audience size of 1,500 across the UK, US, France, Germany, China, and Korea. https://www.appinio.com Contact Details Sara Pollack, VP of Marketing +1 917-438-4922 sara.pollack@assemblyglobal.com Company Website https://www.assemblyglobal.com/

October 12, 2022 05:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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AvaWatz: Building Collaborative Teams Of Robots For The Benefit Of Mankind

AvaWatz Inc.

Contact Details Rajini Anachi rajini@avawatz.com Company Website https://avawatz.com

October 12, 2022 08:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Discover NusaTrip.Com From NusaTrip Indonesia's CEO, Johanes Chang

Society Pass Incorporated

Contact Details Dennis Nguyen: Founder, Chairman & CEO +1 877-440-9464 dennis@thesocietypass.com Company Website https://thesocietypass.com

October 12, 2022 08:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Silicon Valley Leadership Group Joins with Other California Business Associations to Call Upon Biden Administration to Accelerate Implementation of CHIPS Act Incentive Program

Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Leading a coalition of California business associations, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) today urged the Biden Administration and Congress to accelerate implementation of the multibillion dollar CHIPS Act incentive program, which is critical to sustaining and strengthening the state’s thriving innovation economy. According to the White House, America had more than 30 percent of global chip production over 30 years ago, while today, America produces barely 10 percent of the world’s chips. The CHIPS Act seeks to change this by investing $280 billion over the next ten years to revitalize U.S. competitiveness, innovation, and national security. Over the next five years, the Department of Commerce will oversee $50 billion in investments including $11 billion for advanced semiconductor R&D and $39 billion to speed up domestic chip production. Additionally, the Act creates a private sector investment tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing of approximately $24 billion. “The CHIPS Act promises to bolster Silicon Valley competitiveness by supercharging critical innovation infrastructure,” said Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas. “Our member companies stand ready to quickly leverage the federal government’s multi-billion dollar investment to help strengthen U.S. technology, ensure our global competitiveness, and fortify our supply chain resilience.” In a package of letters to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and members of the California delegation, the coalition emphasized that: “The [CHIPS and Science] Act presents a unique moment to seize upon California’s innovation and manufacturing advantages that will help strengthen the national economy and reinforce our critical supply chain of needed semiconductor chips and components. We respectfully request that the Department of Commerce move expeditiously to implement the Act’s incentive program, and we are happy to serve as an industry resource as the Act is implemented." In addition to the SVLG, the letters were signed by the Bay Area Council, Chamber San Mateo County, Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles County Business Federation, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, San Mateo County Economic Development Association, Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, and Valley Industry & Commerce Association. American businesses rely on semiconductors as essential components in electronic products like desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Advancing the nation's military capabilities also requires semiconductors for cutting-edge technologies. Expanding domestic manufacturing of semiconductors will bolster national security, supply chain resilience, and strengthen the national economy. California’s Innovation Economy, made up of diverse actors including technology companies, premier research entities, and comprehensive supply chain leaders, is well-positioned to leverage the Act’s incentives and act as a force multiplier for federal investment to strengthen national manufacturing, R&D, and semiconductor workforce training. President Biden released an implementation strategy for the $50 billion under the CHIPS for America program, which is available here. A summary of the legislation is available here. About the Silicon Valley Leadership Group: The Leadership Group is a business organization of hundreds of Silicon Valley’s most dynamic companies working to shape the innovation economy of California and the nation. Founded by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, for over 40 years the SVLG has worked to address issues that affect the region’s economic health and quality of life. Today the SVLG Is focused on economic competitiveness with a special focus on diversity & inclusion, climate change and infrastructure. SVLG members collectively provide nearly one of every three private sector jobs in Silicon Valley and contribute more than $3 trillion to the worldwide economy. For more information, visit svlg.org. Contact Details Silicon Valley Leadership Group Laura Wilkinson, SVP, Head of Communications +1 669-319-2857 press@svlg.org

October 11, 2022 07:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time

CardSnacks Boosts Capabilities of its Leading eCard App with CardSnacks Invitations

CardSnacks

CardSnacks, the leading platform for individuals and businesses to send personalized e-greetings and gift cards, announced today an upgrade to its app that now provides users a new way to send and manage invitations. Unlike other invitation platforms, CardSnacks Invitations allows you to create fully customizable multimedia invitations that can include photos, voice, videos, stickers, and a selection of over 50,000 popular songs to add as a soundtrack. Plus, CardSnacks Invitations allows you to easily track RSVPs, send updates, and even include a gift card for your attendees. “CardSnacks has always been about building connections, and our CardSnacks Invitations option serves that mission,” said Mark Wachen, founder and CEO of CardSnacks. “We had been beta testing the Invitations category, and we’re excited to now launch it with additional features based on the feedback from our community. We were thrilled to see that so many of our customers were interested in using CardSnacks to send invitations to events, parties and business meetings.” Among the new features offered are: An easy-to-use RSVP widget that can be easily personalized for different events. New Invitation covers that allow for multimedia features, including music, video, photos, and voice messages. New “Shoebox” tools that allow you to easily track responses and update invitees about changes to an event. In addition to allowing users to send Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Holiday messages, CardSnacks Invitations also amplifies the growth in our CardSnacks for Business enterprise offering. For instance, our invitations are easily customizable for office parties and a great tool to support conferences, events, and sales presentations. “We started CardSnacks because we wanted to create an easy and elegant way to show thanks, give gifts, and stay connected,” Wachen said. “Innovations like CardSnacks Invitations allow us to continually build on that spirit.” About CardSnacks CardSnacks is the leading platform for individuals and businesses to send personalized e-greetings, invitations, and gift cards. It is based in New York, with employees in California, London, and Israel. CardSnacks is available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and on the web. For more information, please visit us at https://www.cardsnacks.com. Contact Details CardSnacks Media press@cardsnacks.com Company Website https://www.cardsnacks.com/

October 10, 2022 08:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Why Are Companies Expected To Spend Almost $2 Trillion On Collaborative Robots By 2030? One Company Has An Answer: Teamwork

AvaWatz Inc.

Industries spend billions of dollars each year to ensure worker and customer safety. Yet some of those billions of dollars could be saved by using teams of collaborating robots (cobots) to perform work that endangers human workers. Cobot teams can work in otherwise dangerous operating environments and can perform the tedious tasks necessary to ensure customer safety in commercial spaces, airports, railways and mass transit systems. Consider the task of removing harmful debris from an airport runway. Fragments of metal and other materials can fall onto the runway from airplanes, service vehicles, luggage carts and even small fragments can do catastrophic damage. Keeping runways clear is a life-and-death responsibility, and right now it is all done by human workers who walk or drive along the runway to find and remove debris. This is the kind of tedious and dangerous job that could be done by robots, but no single type of robot is exactly right for the job. Flying drone robots are good at detecting debris, but they cannot pick up the debris and remove it; ground robots can pick it up, but they cannot move as fast or see as far as the drones can. If they combine their strengths, a team of air and ground robots together can perform this task with minimal human involvement. Decision-intelligence tech firm AvaWatz is working to make this idea real. The company builds teams of robots with different skills, like traveling off-road or manipulating a specialized tool – the team can combine those skills and use them all together. AvaWatz wants to use robots to reduce risks for humans who have to perform complex tasks in harsh environments and is pioneering the use of collaborative robots or cobots. Cobot teams can solve hard problems for public and private sector customers, including the military and Homeland Security, flightline operations, search and rescue, emergency response, construction, transportation, agriculture, utilities and infrastructure among others – in fact, it is difficult to name a sector that could not benefit in some way from teams of robot workers. The U.S. Air Force, Army, and the Department of Homeland Security have each recognized the need and are funding AvaWatz R&D to advance and grow the technology. The company is focused on driving risk even lower for humans. Giving back to the community is a high priority for AvaWatz — which is why they donate a portion of their revenue to assist with debris pick-up on coastlines. The Size Of The Opportunity The need for cobots is out there, according to AvaWatz. It is predicted that the market for collaborative robots will grow to $1.99 Trillion by 2030. AvaWatz’s initial targets are smart airports, ground transit assets, and surveillance, but the opportunity is not limited to those areas. Such technology can also address the needs of markets where the risk is not only limited to simple human error but also malicious intent. AvaWatz – which has already performed prototype work with the U.S. Air Force – plans initially to work with regional and private airports in the U.S. in addition to the Air Force as it scales to address larger markets. There is also potential to work in fields such as infrastructure repair, railroad inspection and the protection of endangered wildlife species. AvaWatz is reportedly also working on partnerships with drone and ground robot manufacturers such as Skydio and Boston Dynamics. AvaWatz offers an investment opportunity to meet the growing demand for Collaborative Robots – whose market size is predicted to reach almost $2 trillion by 2030 with a CAGR of 12.3% from 2021-2030. Discover what AvaWatz investment opportunity means for you, by clicking the offer link: https://www.startengine.com/avawatz AvaWatz is a decision-intelligence company charting a new frontier in “Cobots” - collaborative air and ground robots. Leveraging AI and advanced knowledge network technologies, our cooperative robotic services are programmed to carry out tasks too dangerous, difficult, or time-consuming for humans. Our initial services target airfields, ground transit, and surveillance missions across private, government, and defense sectors, with a working prototype piloted by the U.S. Air Force. Visit https://www.startengine.com/avawatz to learn more. This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. Benzinga may receive monetary compensation from the issuer, or its agency, for publicizing the offering of the issuer’s securities. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. This is a paid ad. Please see 17(b) disclosure linked in the campaign page for more information. Contact Details Rajini Anachi rajini@avawatz.com Company Website https://avawatz.com

October 10, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Employee Experience Technology Adoption Is Being Driven by Pandemic Recovery and Workforce Instability, According to Dash Research

Dash Network

The massive shifts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have been deeply felt across all industries and at every department level within business-to-consumer (B2B) and business-to-business (B2B) companies. The effect on the global workforce has been profound, with companies around the world struggling to hire and retain employees. According to a new report from Dash Research, an evolution that many say was already in progress before the pandemic, has accelerated with a balance of power starting to migrate toward employees. Dash Research analysis indicates that these market dynamics are leading companies to invest in a broad range of technologies and solutions to not only decrease day-to-day friction in an employee journey, but also to attempt to meet the expanded desires of a changing population. The line between traditional human resources (HR) technology and employee experience (EX) technologies has blurred over the past few years and has given rise to larger companies that provide human capital management (HCM) or workforce engagement technologies to add modules more focused on engagement, community building, recognition, or performance management. These dynamics have also enabled smaller companies to gain leverage in the market with more specific offerings focused on just one part of the EX ecosystem. Dash Research forecasts that the global market for EX platforms, applications, and services will increase from $5.9 billion in 2021 to more than $14.6 billion in 2026. The market intelligence firm anticipates that EX platforms will represent 53% of total revenue within the forecast period, followed by services (24%) and applications (23%). “Companies are becoming more human-centered,” says senior analyst Sherril Hanson, “and HR departments are shifting focus from operations and productivity toward experience, health, and wellbeing. In many cases, the fundamental relationship between employer and employee has changed.” Hanson adds that the key market drivers spurring the purchase of EX software and services include: The Great Resignation and the need for better retention strategies The employee experience/customer experience link Shifting employee wants and needs Move to hybrid and remote work, leading to increased need for communication and connection Growing need for optimal digital employee experience and great supporting technologies However, she points out that many barriers remain for organizations when attempting to deploy EX solutions, many of which are internal and operational. Dash Research has identified four key challenges that are tempering the growth of EX: Outdated and challenging technology stacks Lack of internal ownership Struggles with analysis and action Inability to build an EX-supportive culture Dash Research’s report, “Employee Experience”, focuses on the software platforms, applications, and services that are offered to help companies achieve excellent EX. These solutions are an important part of providing a positive employee experience. If implemented thoughtfully and with sustained commitment, the solutions can promote deeper employee engagement, less employee churn, in-house automations and efficiencies, and improved customer experience. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website. Dash Research, the market intelligence arm of Dash Network, provides in-depth research and insights on the worldwide CX market including a comprehensive assessment of technology solutions, business issues, market drivers, and end-user dynamics across industry sectors. Dash Research’s global market coverage combines qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to provide a complete view of emerging business opportunities surrounding contact center technologies, customer data & analytics, customer data platforms, customer insights & feedback, customer relationship management, personalization & optimization, and employee experience. For more information, visit www.dashresearch.com or call +1.720.603.1700. Contact Details Clint Wheelock +1 720-603-1700 press@dashnetwork.com Company Website http://www.dashnetwork.com

October 10, 2022 05:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time