Digital nomads the critical workers seeing the world and getting paid for it

Forget grey nomads, digital nomads are the new demographic, and they’re taking to the world’s information superhighway.

Forget gap years, taking your career on the road as a digital nomad is becoming the preferred way to see the world, with almost one in three Australians having ditched a permanent residency to work remotely.

A YouGov survey found 29 per cent of Aussies had been able to travel for an extended period of time while using technology and the internet to work; while 41 per cent of Australians were keen on the idea.

Scott Millar from school-based educational provider BOP Industries said the pandemic enlightened employees to the endless possibilities of working remotely.

“Covid really showed us, and particularly showed young people, that you can do just as much work at just as high a quality, but instead of sitting in an office in Brisbane or Sydney, you can be sipping cocktails on a beach in Bali, or in a co-working space in London, or a friend’s flat in New York,” he said.

“Young people are finding that they can do the exact same job from anywhere in the world and still earn the same amount of money, and still have the same career progression.”

But it’s not just Gen Z embracing the work-from-anywhere concept, said demographer Bernard Salt.

“That’s a feature coming through in a number of the generations of the workforce right through to the 50s and 60s and maybe even beyond,” he said.

“I think we’ll see this more mobile workforce, particularly amongst the professional sector, who can have a laptop and will travel and relocate to a place that suits their needs for a particular time.”

Zac Murray has worked from more than 50 countries in the past two years as a software engineer.

IT and computing workers have been leading the trend, representing 30 per cent of digital nomads, followed by those in creative roles like script writing (21 per cent), then financial services industry staffers (18 per cent).

Most are chasing lifestyle benefits, with 44 per cent of digital nomads declaring being able to travel without taking time off work was a great plus.

Brisbane-bred software engineer Zac Murray, 26, has spent much of the past two years traversing the globe as a digital nomad, visiting and working in more than 50 countries including America, Mexico, Colombia, China, Portugal and Egypt.

“I definitely fell in love with the lifestyle - it just had a magic to it that I can’t even explain,” he said.

“It’s not glamorous, but it is something that is really special and I felt connected to something in a way that I haven’t felt before.”

But he revealed it was not all roses, with Visa issues, budgeting, lack of stability and loneliness the biggest challenges.

“One of the downsides that people often don’t talk about is it can get lonely because you’re away from all your friends, your family, you’re constantly changing locations,” he said.

“And something I also struggled with initially is that it’s not a holiday, it’s about living your life the way you normally would but adding on an extra travelling component, because you still have expectations at work and you don’t want to let your job performance suffer.”

With the proliferation of AI in the workplace, the trend is only set to grow, with Mr Millar declaring some employers were already offering employees the option to work nine months in the office and three months from abroad each year.

“I’ve seen some companies that have started offering that flexibility for their staff … and they’re setting up links with accommodation providers and co-working space providers in different cities around the world,” he said, naming Shopify and WeWork as leading examples.

TOP TIPS FOR LIVING AS A DIGITAL NOMAD

1. Have a plan and a budget for each destination to avoid overspending

2. Set up regular routines in each destination like you would at home to ensure you get your work done, such as going to the gym and having a separate work space

3. Choose destinations that run on similar time zones to your employer to make communicating with work easier

4. Consider staying in hostels, which can not only help you save money, but can also assist with making friends

5. Don’t treat the experience as a holiday. Work your usual hours and explore after hours

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Originally published as Digital nomads the critical workers seeing the world and getting paid for it