Data Shows More Than 60 Million Americans Took Part In Skilled Freelance Work This Year

A new report is shedding light on the US freelance market for 2022 and it’s revealing some very interesting findings.

The news comes to us thanks to Upwork whose freelance forward report outlined how 60 million US citizens were embarking on freelance work in the past year. And that’s a major representation of nearly 40% of the American workforce, clearly delineating a huge high.

At the same time, we saw the study mentioning how so many freelance professionals managed to produce annual earnings of $1.3 trillion which is more than a $50 billion rise from what was witnessed in 2021.

Similarly, this study found that 50% of all US-based freelancers added knowledge services that entailed computer programming, IT consulting, and marketing too in the year 2022.

This is definitely huge news because it comes during a period when American companies are forced to deal with a constant shortage of talent. But this new report is definitely making some great claims linked to American professionals taking a step back from their classic 9 to 5 routine and opting for options that are super convenient and flexible while offering bigger pay scales at the same time.

As revealed by Upwork’s VP, so many people are now becoming more and more aware of how freelancing is the way to go to bring up priorities and their value around their field of work.

You can see it as taking a step back from the in-office model where you’ve got a single employer and hence many people realize that it’s not how they’d like to work anymore. Now, freelancing can really build you a massive career and give you the flexibility to choose whomever you’d like to work with from a sea of clients. And it’s smart to make the most of this opportunity.

Moreover, the fact that they’re positively contributing to the nation’s economy is another factor worth a mention. So all in all, it’s a win-win situation in our books.

This particular study was carried out by the firm via an independent research model study by Edelma Data and Intelligence. It took a survey where 3000 US-based working adults were included over 18 years of age between September to October 22.

This share was seen rising up to 60 million and nearly three percentage points from the previous year, making it 39%. It’s also interesting to note how 75% of freelancers feel their perception of the freelancing career is truly turning into something positive, and that’s again a huge increase in the sentiments felt by working adults in 2021.

If we had to divide the type of individuals working in 2022, well, it’s around 43% of Gen Z and 46% of the Millenial batch who opted to take on the world of freelancing.

Other findings from the report showcased how more than 50% of freelancers provided services linked to knowledge such as marketing, IT, and consultations for businesses and brands. People were similarly keen on taking on diverse projects to help get several streams of income.

So you could see them working remotely as well as through an office-based setup. So what you get is a nice blend of both worlds out there today.

Freelancing is definitely a sector that keeps on growing among those that are the most educated. It’s very appalling to note how 26% of those in this field hold postgraduate degrees and that’s a 20% rise from what was witnessed in the previous year.

So all in all, American adults are really making smarter working decisions and this trend is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years.

Take a look below graphics for more insights on the state of freelancing in 2022.
Read next: New Cybersecurity Study Proves A Third Of Internet Users Were Affected By Data Breaches
Previous Post Next Post