US finds exponential growth in freelancers, with no signs of stopping

Freelancers have been proving the world that you don’t really need to be employed by a big company or a firm in order to earn a good amount of money. You just need a good set of skills with maybe a laptop or a computer, an internet connection, and you’re all set to make the most out of opportunities.

The workforce of freelancers in the U.S is increasing gradually. We’re seeing that many people are joining and becoming freelancers because of the current situation with the pandemic and with fewer job openings in the market, people are now opting for freelancing over traditional 9 to 5 jobs.

Upwork recently published its data on how the freelancing market is moving forward. The report shows that about 59 million Americans in the past 12 months provided their services as a freelancer. That represents around 1/3rd of the entire workforce of America.

It also said that they saw an increase in the number of part time freelancers as compared to last year which was 33% and it is 35% now. About 51% post-grads were providing their services as a freelancer, which is 6% more than what they had last year. And this number won’t stop here, it will continue to grow further, because when we asked those part time freelancers about their future, 56% of them replied that “They are considering to become a full time Freelancer”.

Increase in freelancers means that the total revenue generated would go up by at least a few percent. UpWork released a statement that even in a pretty competitive market, the 59 million Americans who were working as freelancers managed to bag $1.3 trillion this year, which is 100 million more than what they earned last year.

Economist head at UpWork, Adam Ozimek noticed that many professionals who were highly skilled were coming into the field of freelancing instead of working at a conventional workplace. As professionals enter the freelance market, the job market becomes tense and in 2022, people should just go for individuals who have the talent and skills that they want, regardless of their qualifications.

Brian Schneider, co-founder of Unconquered, said that there are certain things that we should decide right at the start of our commitments with freelancers:

1. You should express what kind of work you are expecting from them. Tell them what their role would be in the project and how to behave when they’re working as a team.

2. Instead of making them feel like the vendor, maybe you should try and make them feel that they are a part of the team.

3. And most importantly don’t “Micro-Manage”, because a good freelancer knows how to manage their work and schedule. Don’t pin point or dictate everything because that won’t guarantee you maximum results but freedom will.

As everything is transitioning to work from home, we feel that freelancing is going to be the highest earning method for people. And with the kind of numbers we are seeing right now, it really looks promising.

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