Inside this Article
Freelancing in the Shadow of a Pandemic1. Short-Term Demand Falls, but Not All Hope is Lost2. The Impact of a Pandemic on Freelancers in Europe3. Freelancers and Economic InstabilityThe Current Freelance Job Market4. The Number of Freelancers Is Growing—Fast5. How Freelancers Look for Work6. The Largest Freelance Platforms7. Where Clients Are Located8. Top Time Commitments for Freelance Positions9. Freelancers Turn to Training for Career Advancement10. Businesses and Individuals Are Embracing Remote WorkThe Freelance Workforce11. Things Freelancers Worry About12. Freelancers Skew Young13. Freelance Gender Demographics14. Most Freelancers Work From Home15. Reasons People Choose to Freelance16. Freelancers Juggle Multiple Projects17. Half of Freelancers Are Intermittent Workers18. Education Freelancers Value the Most19. Freelancers Are More Politically Active20. Most Freelancers Have Multiple SkillsBenefits of the Freelance Economy21. Freelancers Contribute to the Economy22. Freelancers Have a Better Work-Life Balance23. Freelancers Are Happier, Healthier24. Freelancers Are More Optimistic About Advancement Opportunities25. Many Freelancers Feel More Secure in Their Employment26. Freelancing Supports a Variety of Personal CircumstancesIncome in the Freelance Economy27. On Average, Women Earn Less Than Men28. Average Freelance Earnings per Hour by Industry29. Average Global Freelancer Earnings per Hour30. When It Comes to Pay, Experience Trumps Education31. Full-Time Freelancers Struggle With Managing Debt32. Freelancers Get Ripped Off … A LotFuture Projections33. Freelancers Will Make Up Majority of U.S. Workforce34. More Businesses Will Use Freelance Workers35. What Freelancers Want More of in the Future36. Globalization and Freelancing37. No Amount of Money Could Take Me Away From Freelancing30 More StatsThe Takeaway
Freelancing in the Shadow of a Pandemic
At the mercy of a virus that’s caused a global pandemic, the freelance market in many countries is already changing significantly. For some, the uncertainty weighs heavily upon the economy, forcing difficult decisions. For others, a restructuring is taking form, and the dependency on flexible working is a forced reality rather than a considered choice.1. Short-Term Demand Falls, but Not All Hope is Lost

2. The Impact of a Pandemic on Freelancers in Europe

3. Freelancers and Economic Instability
As a whole, freelancers find having multiple sources of income allows them better financial security, with 65% agreeing that “having a diversified portfolio of income from multiple clients is more secure than having one employer.” They’re also happy to take on more work, with 93% of full-time freelancers agreeing that, “If I ever need to, I can work more to earn more money.” Non-freelancers are also tempted by this reasoning, as 76% said they would consider freelancing in a time of recession.The Current Freelance Job Market
Let’s take a look at the available opportunities, the most popular jobs, and the skills you need to win them.4. The Number of Freelancers Is Growing—Fast
- 41% of the American workforce freelanced in 2020, up 13% since 2013
- At the same time, non-freelancers only grew by 2%
- 28% of Americans freelance full-time, up 17% from 2014
- 53% of Generation Z (18-22) chooses the freelancing route
5. How Freelancers Look for Work

6. The Largest Freelance Platforms
These are the largest freelance websites by the number of users (clients and freelancers): The largest freelance platform by the number of users is Freelancer.com, with more than 31 million. You can read our review to find out what it’s like to work on the platform. The second most populous, but considered the best by many freelancers, is Upwork, with more than 17 million registered users (12 million freelancers, five million clients). Curious what it’s like to work as a freelancer on Upwork? Take a look at our review. You can also learn about what it’s like to work on the third-largest platform, Fiverr, by reading our review. Whether you’re looking to work or hire, freelancing platforms are definitely a strategy to consider.7. Where Clients Are Located

8. Top Time Commitments for Freelance Positions
Average hours worked per week by job type:- Management and human relations: 39 hours
- Engineering and manufacturing: 38.2 hours
- Customer support and administrative positions: 38.2 hours
- Programming and IT: 37.4 hours
- Marketing and sales: 37 hours
- Multimedia and design: 36.5 hours
- Translators and writers: 34 hours
- Legal positions: 33.6 hours
9. Freelancers Turn to Training for Career Advancement

10. Businesses and Individuals Are Embracing Remote Work
Of all the organizations around the world (with a staff of 1,000+), a fifth include at least 30% remote workers. And during the last five years, 50% of all organizations had a substantial increase in their freelance workforce. Up to 50% of jobs within the U.S. are compatible with remote work and 80% of workers say they’d like to work remotely, on a part-time basis, at least. However, only 7% of businesses actually allow for employees to work remotely on any level. That said, there are quite a few large businesses that have begun to use a completely remote staff. These include Edgar, Toptal, Basecamp, InVision, Ghost, Automattic, Zapier, Hubstaff, Trello, Buffer, Groove, Doist, and Toggl. This shows that businesses and individuals alike are becoming more comfortable with remote working.The Freelance Workforce
The following stats focus on freelancers themselves, including info about their interests, education, and work-life:11. Things Freelancers Worry About

12. Freelancers Skew Young

13. Freelance Gender Demographics

14. Most Freelancers Work From Home

15. Reasons People Choose to Freelance

16. Freelancers Juggle Multiple Projects
- The number of projects freelancers manage at once:
- One: 13%
- Two to four: 70%
- Five to nine: 13%
- 10 or more: 4%
17. Half of Freelancers Are Intermittent Workers

18. Education Freelancers Value the Most
- Degrees freelancers hold, globally:
- Bachelor’s or certificate degree: 54%
- Master’s or Ph.D.: 25%
- No degree: 20%
19. Freelancers Are More Politically Active
Freelancers, in general, tend to be more politically active than non-freelancers: 51% of full-time freelancers participate in political activities, compared to only 33% of full-time traditional employees. 72% of freelancers said they’d be willing to cross party lines to vote for a candidate that supports freelancer interests. This indicates how strongly freelancers feel and suggests they would be more vocal around these issues.20. Most Freelancers Have Multiple Skills

Benefits of the Freelance Economy
Now we’ll take a look at statistics that illustrate the far-reaching benefits of this rapidly growing economy.21. Freelancers Contribute to the Economy
- Freelancers contributed $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2020
- Freelancing makes up 5.7% of GDP in the U.S.
22. Freelancers Have a Better Work-Life Balance
According to an Upwork study, 77% of full-time freelancers believe they have a better work-life balance since going independent. However, this does come at a cost, as 63% also claimed to feel anxious about new responsibilities they have to manage. More than two-thirds (77%) said they now have more time for the people and things they care about. A similar number of freelancers (76%) claim that their freelance work is more stimulating, which is probably why 51% claim that no amount of money could get them to return to a traditional position.23. Freelancers Are Happier, Healthier

24. Freelancers Are More Optimistic About Advancement Opportunities
Feelings regarding career advancement potential (freelancers vs non-freelancers):- My position provides the opportunity for upward mobility
- 72% of freelancers agree
- 53% of non-freelancers agree
- My job provides pay appropriate to my skill level
- 77% of freelancers agree
- 62% of non-freelancers agree
- My work is challenging, giving me the opportunity to develop new skills
- 81% of freelancers agree
- 67% of non-freelancers agree
- My job offers a long-term career path
- 77% of freelancers agree
- 69% of non-freelancers agree
25. Many Freelancers Feel More Secure in Their Employment

26. Freelancing Supports a Variety of Personal Circumstances
In a recent survey, 42% of respondents said freelancing has given them the ability to work when they were unable to hold a traditional position due to personal circumstances. This allows those with children, health problems, special needs, or other personal commitments to comfortably work from home, when other options may not be available.Income in the Freelance Economy
Freelancing can be incredibly lucrative for some, while others barely scrape by. This depends on a number of factors, so knowing the statistics behind incomes is useful for those considering going freelance, as well as for those hiring.27. On Average, Women Earn Less Than Men

28. Average Freelance Earnings per Hour by Industry

29. Average Global Freelancer Earnings per Hour
When it comes to pay per hour, here’s what freelancers are earning around the globe:
30. When It Comes to Pay, Experience Trumps Education
Degrees don’t matter too much when it comes to the average hourly rate:- High-school education: $22 an hour
- Certificate, or bachelor’s degree: $19 an hour
- Master’s degree or Ph.D.: $24 an hour
31. Full-Time Freelancers Struggle With Managing Debt
- Feel like they live paycheck to paycheck
- 59% of freelancers
- 53% of non-freelancers
- Have college loans or other debts to pay off
- 46% of freelancers
- 36% of non-freelancers
32. Freelancers Get Ripped Off … A Lot

Future Projections
According to most experts, the future of freelancing looks bright. Here are some of the top projections to what lies ahead for this rapidly expanding economy.33. Freelancers Will Make Up Majority of U.S. Workforce

34. More Businesses Will Use Freelance Workers
Well, this just makes sense. If there are more freelance workers, then there will be more businesses utilizing their services. By the end of 2021, it is projected that 56% of companies will allow global remote work, with 16% of companies employing the entirety of their staff as global remote workers. On average, permanent remote work will make up 34.4% of companies’ workforces. This means remote work will more than double compared to pre-pandemic figures, rising from 16.4%.35. What Freelancers Want More of in the Future

36. Globalization and Freelancing
Freelancers view globalization as:- An opportunity for expansion: 71%
- A non-threat or net-neutral: 21%
- A threat due to increased competition: 8%
37. No Amount of Money Could Take Me Away From Freelancing

30 More Stats
- Roughly 1.1 billion freelancers are working around the world
- 7 out of every 10 freelancers prefer living away from the big city
- 35.5% of freelancers are located in Europe – more than any other continent
- There are 3.4 million freelancers in Japan, making up 5% of the country’s workforce
- There are more than 1.4 million freelancers working in the UK
- In the United States, the Freelance workforce is growing 3 times faster than the overall US workforce
- UK freelancers average 27 hours of work per week, which is significantly less than in the rest of Europe
- US freelancers earn the most, with year-on-year revenue growth of 78%
- Due to the coronavirus pandemic, freelance job postings grew by 41% in the second quarter of 2020
- Companies with at least 11% of freelancing staff earned, on average, $6,400 more than businesses that employed fewer freelancers
- Employers save $11.6 an hour per employee by hiring freelancers
- Upwork earned $87.5 million in the last quarter
- On average, freelancers in the US earn more than 70% of professionals
- In the United States, 40% of freelancers are more educated than the average worker
- A contract is won every four seconds on Fiverr
- 73% of freelancers have not changed their rates due to coronavirus
- The entertainment industry hires the majority (55%) of its staff as freelancers
- There are over 1,800 different categories of jobs on Freelancer.com
- 1.07 billion hours are spent freelancing each week, averaging out to 19 hours per freelancer
- People who work from home are, on average, 13% more productive than those who do not
- There are 4.1 million digital nomads (people who fund their travel through freelancing)
- Of all the companies actively hiring freelancers, only 1 in 4 would consider a freelancer for an HR role
- 57% of full-time freelancers find their work interesting
- 17 million people desire to be a digital nomad
- Freelancers make up 75% of staff employed in the arts and design industry
- 96% of freelancers believe freelancing has changed in recent years
- 90% of digital nomads are satisfied with their work
- 30% of all remote work companies have a female CEO or founder
- Remote workers save between $2,000 and $7,000 a year, compared to office workers
- There are 10.9 million digital nomads in America, 49% more than in 2019
The Takeaway
Freelancing is quickly evolving to become one of the primary sources of income for people across the globe. So whether you’re a client in need of good help, or a worker looking for an extra revenue stream, this more flexible way of working offers a tremendous opportunity to countless industries.Sources:
Statista
Payoneer
Upwork
Edelmann
Freelancers Union
US Department of Commerce
Vectorpunch/freepik.com
OwlLab
Enterprise Technology Research
MBO Partners, State of Independence Report