Talent marketplaces and internal gig systems are quietly rewiring how careers are built inside companies. These platforms turn hidden skills into visible currency, let people test new paths without resigning, and push managers to think in terms of fluid skills instead of fixed jobs. Careers start looking less like ladders and more like networks of projects, experiments and sideways moves that compound over time.spire+3
What is an internal talent marketplace
An internal talent marketplace is a digital platform inside a company that connects employees to internal opportunities such as short projects, gigs, full roles, mentoring and learning programs based on their skills and interests. These systems usually use data about skills and experience and often artificial intelligence to recommend matches between employee profiles and current business needs.gloat+3
Internal marketplaces are different from the old style internal job board because they focus on skills and aspirations instead of just job titles and requisition numbers. They also bring many kinds of opportunities into one place so that an employee can see projects, stretch assignments and learning paths alongside open roles.muchskills+3
Internal gigs and how they work
Internal gigs are short term assignments or projects that an employee can take on in addition to or instead of their main role to contribute skills, learn something new or help a different team solve a problem. These can range from a few hours a week on a cross functional initiative to a multi month project where someone temporarily joins another team.engagedly+3
On a marketplace platform managers post gigs with required skills, estimated effort and time frame, while employees browse and apply or are recommended through matching algorithms that compare their profiles to the gig requirements. Some platforms also allow people to signal what they want to learn so that they can be matched to gigs that stretch them beyond their current comfort zone.seekout+3
From ladders to portfolios
Traditional careers inside companies followed a linear path where people moved up predefined ladders inside one function or business unit. Internal marketplaces break this model by making careers look more like a portfolio of experiences built over many short assignments across teams, functions and even geographies.mercer+2
Instead of waiting years for a formal promotion, an employee can string together multiple gigs that each add a new skill, connection or piece of domain knowledge, gradually qualifying them for a wider range of roles. This portfolio approach also reduces the risk of big career moves because people can try something on a small project before committing to a full role change.linkedin+3
How careers change for employees
For employees the most obvious change is visibility into possibilities that previously depended on who they knew or which manager they had. With a marketplace they can see a live feed of projects and roles across the organization and can signal interest directly rather than waiting to be tapped on the shoulder.neobrain+3
Careers also become more self directed because an employee is encouraged to keep an up to date skills profile, set goals and actively choose gigs that align with those goals. Over time this strengthens a sense of ownership and makes people less dependent on a single manager or rigid annual processes to progress.infeedo+3
Skills first instead of job titles
Internal marketplaces push companies to treat skills as the core unit of work and careers rather than job descriptions alone. Platforms map which skills each employee has, which skills each project or role requires and where there are gaps, making it easier to suggest targeted gigs and learning.goperfect+3
For employees this skills orientation means that hidden talents like coding, design, data analysis or languages that were not part of their core job can suddenly become visible and valuable. It also means that people can move between functions when they share critical skills such as project management or stakeholder communication even if their previous job titles look unrelated.phenom+3
New patterns of mobility
Research and case studies show that when companies introduce internal gigs and marketplaces, internal mobility tends to increase because employees see more ways to move without leaving the company. One analysis found that internal mobility rates were significantly higher for employees who participated in gigs compared with those who did not, and a large share of those movers also gained promotions.linkedin+1
Instead of only vertical moves such as analyst to manager, people make lateral or diagonal moves like operations analyst into product, or finance specialist into data roles through a chain of targeted gigs that build missing experience. These new patterns reduce the common frustration where people feel stuck in a siloed function with no path out.greatplacetowork+3
Impact on learning and development
Internal gig systems blend learning with real work by turning projects into vehicles for skill growth rather than relying only on classroom style courses. As employees work on gigs they practice new technical and soft skills such as analytics, stakeholder management or negotiation and then bring those back into their home teams.nestorup+1
Learning teams gain rich data about which skills are in demand and which are emerging across gigs and roles, which helps them design targeted training instead of generic catalogs. Some platforms also track how skills evolve for each employee over time and can show evidence that gigs are actually moving the needle on capability building.goperfect+2
Effects on engagement and retention
Internal marketplaces generally increase engagement because they signal that the company is willing to invest in employee growth and give people space to explore. When employees find new challenges internally rather than hitting a wall, they are more likely to stay, and studies link strong internal mobility with longer average tenure and higher engagement scores.phenom+3
Internal gigs also break monotony and reduce burnout by allowing people to step into work that energizes them, even for a small part of their time. Feeling seen for their full range of skills and passions can rebuild trust in the organization, especially after periods of restructuring or uncertainty.cornerstoneondemand+2
Value for managers and leaders
Managers who embrace internal gig systems gain flexible access to talent for time bound needs without always hiring contractors or full time staff, which can save cost and speed up delivery. They can search the marketplace for people with specific skills, bring them into a project and then release them when the work is done, making resource planning more dynamic.talentguard+3
Leaders benefit from a clearer picture of the skills across the enterprise and can align long term strategy with real internal capacity instead of guesswork. This visibility makes it easier to identify succession candidates, build leadership pipelines and mobilize teams quickly when new opportunities or crises arise.spire+3
Challenges and tensions
While the upside is strong, internal marketplaces also introduce tensions such as managers fearing they will lose top performers to gigs or other teams. Without clear guidelines and support some managers may quietly block their people from participating or treat gigs as extra work rather than developmental opportunities.nestorup+3
There are also practical issues like ensuring that gig participation does not lead to overload and that performance evaluations recognize contributions made outside the home team. If the platform is not well governed there can be inequities where well connected or already visible employees get most of the opportunities while others see little benefit, which actually reinforces old patterns.seekout+3
How to design an effective internal gig system
Effective systems start with a clear inventory of skills in the organization and a thoughtful design of which types of gigs are allowed, what approval flows look like and how time commitments are handled. Many companies begin with pilot programs in a few business areas to test policies around load, manager approvals, and feedback before rolling out more broadly.cornerstoneondemand+2
Success also depends on change management that explains the benefits for managers, shows case studies, and aligns gigs with existing talent and performance processes so they do not feel like a side project. Simple design choices such as limiting gig hours per week or linking gigs to development goals can reduce friction and make the program feel sustainable rather than chaotic.infeedo+3
Case examples from leading firms
Large global companies in sectors such as technology, consumer goods and industrial manufacturing have adopted internal gigs and marketplaces to support reskilling and agility. For example, one networking technology company used internal project opportunities to reskill employees into new technology areas, helping close skills gaps while keeping people engaged in the transformation.engagedly+1
Another group of firms reported that internal gig participants showed higher rates of internal movement and promotion, and that gig programs improved collaboration as employees built networks across functions and regions. Industry analyses also suggest that organizations using internal marketplaces report significant increases in internal sourcing and talent redeployment relative to those without such systems.mercer+3
How careers feel different day to day
For an employee in a world with internal gigs the rhythm of work changes because opportunities show up continuously instead of only during annual review cycles or rare openings. A person can decide to spend part of their week contributing to a marketing experiment, a data clean up project or a sustainability initiative, depending on what aligns with their goals and the available gigs.phenom+3
Feedback loops also tighten as gig managers often provide project specific feedback that supplements the home manager perspective, which helps employees get richer insight into their strengths and growth areas. Over time this mix of varied work and continuous feedback can create a stronger sense of progress than waiting years for a title change.phenom+3
Comparison of traditional careers and marketplace careers
Title
| Aspect | Traditional internal career | Marketplace and internal gig career |
| Main structure | Linear ladder inside one function with occasional promotions mercer | Portfolio of projects, gigs and roles across functions and teams seekout+1 |
| Access to opportunities | Dependent on manager networks and informal sponsorship greatplacetowork | Central platform with transparent listings and skill based matching spire+1 |
| Unit of planning | Job description and title mercer | Skills, experiences and aspirations muchskills+1 |
| Learning mode | Courses and on the job tasks in one team nestorup | Continuous learning through cross functional gigs plus targeted training nestorup+1 |
| Mobility pattern | Mostly vertical promotions every few years mercer | Frequent lateral and diagonal moves driven by gigs and internal roles linkedin+1 |
| Manager role | Primary gatekeeper for development and moves greatplacetowork | One of several stakeholders alongside platform, project leads and talent teams seekout+1 |
| Employee experience | Can feel locked in or invisible beyond team mercer | Greater agency, visibility and sense of being multidimensional seekout+1 |
Implications for the future of work
As marketplaces and internal gigs spread, companies may shift further towards skills based organizations where work is decomposed into projects that can be matched more fluidly to talent wherever it sits. This shift makes work more resilient because people can be redeployed faster in response to market swings, technology changes or new strategic bets.seekout+3For individuals it suggests that future proof careers will depend less on staying loyal to a single ladder and more on continuously updating skills, building diverse experience and actively seeking gigs that stretch them. Internal marketplaces become the infrastructure that makes this kind of ongoing reinvention possible without forcing people to leave for external gig platforms or competitors.spire+3
