WORQ, an award-winning operator of co-working spaces, is launching SPARQ — a digital resource and community app designed to catalyse collaborations and opportunities in the Malaysian gig economy. Rolled out as a beta-phase in January 2021, SPARQ has grown to include members across 22 industries, including finance, F&B , education, law, technology and media.
With four million freelance workers and rising, the gig economy in Malaysia is set to grow, especially as more workers turn to digital platforms to make a living. Yet, despite this burgeoning growth, there is still a gap in effective collaboration platforms. With a lack of a solution dedicated to finding opportunities for collaboration, and with COVID-19 limiting the opportunities for face-to-face networking events, many leaders and gig workers don’t know where to get started with finding the people and positions that best match their skill sets.
Stephanie Ping, CEO and Co-founder of WORQ said, “SPARQ fills in the gap gig workers and project owners have in finding the right fit for professional opportunities, ad-hoc tasks and even personal projects. On a broader scope, the app also stimulates collaborative attitudes in the workforce.”
SPARQ bridges this gap and catalyses opportunities for collaboration by acting as a 24/7 digital community manager for the growing gig community. Through its smart matching A.I. for business matchmaking, the SPARQ app recommends users to experts from a wide range of industries — helping them connect with the right people, at the right time. Members may request for help, recommend opportunities, share their projects and start industry-specific discussions with experts on the app. Furthermore, the profile format allows users to optimise their portfolio and experiences, which facilitates easier collaboration with the right people.
“SPARQ’s smart matching system is an exemplary instance of using technology to empower the workforce, enabling opportunities in the gig economy. This resonates with our goals at MDEC, in catalysing growth of the ecosystem and providing job opportunities for the many, in line with the vision of Malaysia 5.0, a nation deeply integrated with technology, providing equitable digital opportunities to the people and businesses, as well as echoing the objectives of MyDIGITAL,” said Gopi Ganesalingam, Vice President, Tech Ecosystems and Globalisation, MDEC.
As the digital arm of WORQ’s WORQ-aid 3.0 campaign, which aims to support businesses through COVID-19 and the effects of MCO 3.0, SPARQ has rallied together with the members of the SPARQ community who want to give back to the community and support their peers in these difficult times.
The app will provide free consultations to businesses and people during MCO3.0. These consultations are facilitated by industry experts who have agreed to partner with and provide their assistance via SPARQ. The three categories of consultation are:
- Digital Marketing Consultation
- Business Startup/Continuity Consultation
- Business/Personal Portfolio Consultation
Partners and consultants include Jan Wong and Daryll Tan from OpenMinds Resources, Celine Ting from OpenAcademy, Michael Kwan from pixl.my, Eugene The SEO King, Derek Yap from GARPU, Bob Lay from Digital Marketing Networks.
To sign up for the consultation, interested parties simply have to download the SPARQ app, join the SPARQ community and indicate their interest in the consultation they need — after which they will be matched with a consultant. More details on how to sign up can be found at bit.ly/worqaid.
