COVID-19 and the Rise of the Digital Nomad: Why Digital Nomads Are Good for Business

Now, perhaps more than ever before, digital nomads are a key component of the workforce. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to drag through 2021, more and more workers have come to see digital nomad work as a more permanent life path, not just a stopgap measure during quarantining but an actual long-term life decision.

This new form of work has only become more desirable with the upsurge in new tools for remote work, especially virtual addresses like those available through iPostal1, which give digital nomads a physical mailing address to receive work-related mail while they’re on the road.

They have excellent qualifications

According to the Harvard Business Review, digital nomads are, on average, “well-educated, highly-skilled, and digitally savvy.” In other words, digital nomads aren’t the chronically unsatisfied slackers they’re depicted to be. Those who wander down the unbeaten path of digital nomadism are qualified workers who are simply choosing the past that’s best for them.

Additionally, digital nomads tend to be exceptionally proficient in soft skills. The hustle-and-bustle of digital nomad life makes nomads adept at entrepreneurship, negotiation, and improvisation, which are all essential skills, no matter the field.

It’s not just for freelancers

It used to be the case that most digital nomads were freelance contractors and gig workers, but that’s simply not the case anymore. Since the onset of the pandemic, many workplaces have shifted to persistently virtual forms of work.

With remote work stealing the spotlight, digital nomads are expected to overpopulate tech fields, including programming and IT. Additionally, these out-of-the-box thinkers tend to flock to industries not anchored to specific locations, like marketing, copywriting, etc. 

Digital nomads keep the talent pools open

The switch to virtual work has meant that many traditional forms of employment have rolled out flexible hour policies, broadening talent pools. As a bonus, flexible setups ensure that businesses aren’t left high and dry with empty spots in the company roster when workers relocate or undergo core-shaking life changes, like starting a family. 

This benefit just can’t be understated. Just consider how many talented employees leave an otherwise perfect job because it’s not in an ideal location or because they want a different lifestyle for themselves or their families. Think of how many of those jobs can people can preserve through a nomadic lifestyle.

More fulfilled workers are more productive workers

The most crucial reason that digital nomads are good for business is also the simplest. Workers are more effective when they’re happier, and being a digital nomad fills the cups of professionals once shackled to cubicles.

Make no mistake: it’s crucial for purely human, non-productivity reasons to give workers freedom of movement. But a worker who lives a fulfilling lifestyle will boast higher productivity rates, giving your bottom line a boost. 

Wrap up

The long and short of it is that digital nomads are a stellar choice for any business. Ultimately, the digital nomadic lifestyle enables businesses to attract highly qualified, highly skilled, genuinely happy workers from anywhere in the country or even the world. And what’s not to love about that?