Dive Insight:

As businesses cope with those talent shortages and shift away from traditional work environments, Upwork, a freelancing platform, has reported increased interest in independent contractor use. And it’s not alone: In November 2020, GigSmart, a mobile staffing app, reported a 460% jump in hourly gig postings since the pandemic lockdown began nine months earlier. Many of the placements were in construction, food service and warehouses. But demand for contract workers also included individuals with programming skills, coding, web design and social media development, according to a May 2020 report from Freelancer.com.

2021 brought more interest: 50% of independent professionals in the U.S. saw an increased demand for their services compared to 2020, according to a May 2022 report from Fiverr, a global online marketplace for freelance services. Independent workers providing technical services (61%) were most likely to face increased demand, compared to professional services (46%) and creative services (23%), the report found.

Businesses driving the demand seem to be satisfied: 85% of hiring managers in the Upwork survey who hire freelancers say that working with independent professionals allows them to access talent with specialized skills, according to the findings.

Read the full report here