PETALING JAYA – Cidekick has cemented its position in the gig economy sector with a new app designed to facilitate better job matching experiences between freelancers and businesses.
Launched on 18 November 2021, the app will benefit both the gig-seekers and employers alike and aims to increase accountability and the transparency of the hiring processes and working environments as well.
Cidekick founder and Chief Executive Officer Philip Phua said that the development of the app was fuelled by the many incidences of unsafe working environments, delayed payments, immoral job opportunities and exploitation that part-time job seekers are exposed to.
“We want to distinguish ourselves and be more than just a gig matching platform. This new app will, among other things, mitigate this by creating a protective barrier so that gig seekers, especially millennials, can look for side income on a platform that ensures the accountability of both the employees and employers.”
Philip added that this will offer a sense of security and safety to those looking for part-time or gig employment, especially as they are very often the younger group who may not have had much exposure to the working world.
He added that Cidekick was basically creating a credible and trustworthy platform for those looking for jobs as promoters, models, warehouse crew, and usherettes, amongst others.
As for employers, they will be able to monitor job performance as the proprietary dashboard will allow them to track multiple gig workers simultaneously, either individually or collectively.
“Employers will have access to multiple types of reporting such as sales and custom reports, and also be able to access photo and video tools to facilitate the management of their Cidekicks’ performances anywhere and anytime.”
A leader in the industry, Cidekick is the largest platform for event and gig jobs in Malaysia. Established in January 2016, it has hosted some 15,000 active users to date, with a sharp increase recorded during the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many users during these recent times are former Grab-drivers, and employees from the hospitality and retail industries who have been badly hit financially.
“Cognisant of this we enhanced our cooperation with the Selangor state government’s Rakan Digital Selangor project that is powered by our platform, and successfully offered jobs with the work-from-home option,” Philip said, adding that Cidekicks can earn between RM100 to RM150 a day.
The gig workforce has grown in recent times, with more people willing to work on short-term projects, allowing for flexibility and variability as well as expanded opportunities. There has also been a spike in the demand for online promoters and warehouse crew due to the increase of online shopping as well as the creation of a new gig economy for positions such as mobile content creators.
Collectively, all these factors are growing the industry and positioning Cidekick to attract more users from both sides of the work divide.
Cidekick has successfully assisted more than 300 clients to fulfil their gig workforce needs since its establishment. These include the above-mentioned Selangor state government, Grab, Foodpanda, Touch ‘n Go, Fave, Caring, Signature Market, among others, with more than 50,000 manpower days clocked in.
Profitable now after five years of operations, the company is looking to gain investor confidence and grow into the largest gig-worker platform – and the first in the Southeast Asia region – to provide various types of side opportunities to its Cidekicks.
“We also want to expand across SEA to provide a wider range of economic opportunities for the gig workforce. As automation increases, there will still be certain roles that would need human interaction and creativity. We also believe our clients will continue requiring a more personalised approach for certain marketing and event needs,” continued Philip.
Cidekick received Seed Funding of RM775,000 from Cradle Malaysia under Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd’s DEQ800 programme. Philip is now looking to attract new investors to fund its expansion and growth.
The company is already in talks to expand its business to Indonesia next year, with plans in the pipeline to penetrate the Thailand and Singapore markets.
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