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Freelance statistics have shown a dramatic shift following the worldwide shakeup attributable to Covid-19.
There are a couple of reasons for this sudden shift—most of which you’ll understand as you dive into the freelance statistics below—not the least of which is that this:
Thousands and thousands of individuals lost their jobs or were forced to earn a living from home in 2020.
Never before within the history of recent work have so many individuals lost their job at one time (forcing exploration of alternatives like freelancing). Amongst people who kept their jobs, never in modern history has such a work-from-home exodus been so massive.
And so, here we are. Freelancing statistics are skyrocketing. Distant work is more common than ever before. Work is changing. And the freelance stats below will make it easier to see just how big this shift really is.
We’ll update these freelancing stats frequently to document the ever-changing workforce landscape.
General Freelance Statistics
First, let’s have a look at the large picture on the subject of freelance stats. Freelancing is a force to be reckoned with on this world. Here’s a glimpse at why:
- There are an estimated 1.2 billion freelancers around the globe (nearly 1/3 of the entire global workforce).
- 73.3 million Americans reported having freelanced in 2023—equalling 46.25% of the general American workforce.
- U.S. Freelancers generated a whopping $1.2 trillion in annual earnings in 2020.
- The overwhelming majority of people that try freelancing, expect to maintain freelancing into the longer term on some level.
- Expert freelancers report a median $25/hour rate from their clients. 32% of freelancers work exclusively on an hourly basis.
Freelance Growth Statistics
Not only is the freelance workforce a powerhouse in its own right, however it’s also on an upward trajectory. Freelancing statistics show the freelance workforce is growing faster than ever before. Have a look:
- It’s estimated that the entire variety of freelancers within the U.S. alone by 2028 will surpass 90 million. (We expect it’ll be higher.)
- 50% of Gen-Z staff take part in the freelance economy, while only 26% of Baby Boomers do.
- 90% of freelancers estimate their income will either remain the identical or go up year-over-year.
- Clear back in 2016, already 80% of the present US workforce was willing or concerned about taking up additional freelance work outside of their day job.
- 71% of freelancers report they consider public perceptions of freelancing as a profession are becoming more positive every year.
Covid-19 Freelance Statistics
In fact, no list of freelancer stats could be complete without diving into how Covid-19 has recently impacted the freelance workforce. While some freelancers were forced to take a break in response to the pandemic, Covid gave the impression to be somewhat positive for many freelancers:
- An estimated 2+ Million staff have joined the freelance economy to this point resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Distant work has opened employees’ eyes to freelancing as a viable future profession. 58% of staff who are recent to distant working say they’ll consider freelancing in the longer term.
- An estimated 10% of freelancers put their freelance work on hold resulting from Covid-19. Nonetheless, 88% of those “on hold” expect they’ll return to freelancing when possible.
- Freelancers who began freelancing throughout the pandemic have reported a positive financial impact and a large 96% of them expect to proceed freelancing into the longer term.
- 1/3 of Gen Z freelancers began their freelancing journey throughout the pandemic. And most plan to proceed freelancing into the longer term.
Freelance Marketplace Statistics
Freelance marketplaces make up an enormous portion of the freelance industry because it’s where many freelancers get their start and what number of veterans proceed to search out recent clients. It’s easy to see why once you review these stats:
- Upwork features 12 categories and 173+ sub-categories during which you’ll find freelance clients.
- 59% of freelancers use marketplaces and job boards to search out recent freelance clients, beating out referrals and social media amongst others.
- Revenue generated through leading freelance site Upwork has greater than doubled from 2016 (164 Million) to 2020 (373 Million).
- 91% of freelancers who’ve used freelance job sites to search out work would recommend them to someone just getting began as a freelancer.
Freelance Workday Statistics
A freelancer’s workday is a bit different than a typical 9-5 job—mostly in a positive way. Here’s what freelancers around the globe must say concerning the time they put in during “work hours”:
- 51% of freelancers report working fewer than 40 hours per week, even in the event that they’re “full-time” freelancers.
- 69% of freelancers report having enough work to maintain them actively freelancing on a each day or weekly basis.
- Half of the freelance workforce reports filling their workday with expert labor, providing expert services to clients.
Freelancer-Client Statistics
Without clients, a freelancer is actually only a hobbyist. So it is smart that many freelancer statistics deal with the freelancer-client relationship. Here are just a couple of:
- 58% of freelancers report they’ve greater than 5 clients at any given time.
- 57% of freelancers say they set their very own rates for clients to pay them.
- Freelancers report spending about 25% of their time marketing, prospecting, or searching for brand new clients.
- 47% of freelancers who use freelance marketplaces accomplish that because they consider it’s place to search out trustworthy clients.
Freelance Lifestyle Statistics
For a lot of freelancers, they select this alternative profession due to impact it would have on their lifestyle. As reported within the freelance stats below, the approach to life implications of constructing the switch to freelance are mostly positive:
- 71% of freelancers say they select freelancing primarily for the schedule flexibility it provides.
- 45% of U.S. freelancers are highly educated post-graduates with a Master’s Degree or above.
- 54% of freelancers reported their biggest worry is lack of stability. Their second biggest concern was lack of monetary security.
- There are freelancers in just about all major industries including high-paying jobs like doctors, architects, consultants, lawyers, and tax professionals.
- 65% of freelancers age 55+ see freelance work as an affordable strategy to transition into retirement. They are less anxious about saving for retirement than full-time employees.
Freelance Satisfaction Statistics
It’s not only a life-style improvement that’s driving increasingly more people to adopt freelancing as a viable profession path. We found plenty of freelance stats suggesting there are loads of other positive reasons for turning to freelancing. Here are a few of the most effective:
- 86% of freelancers everywhere in the world report they consider the longer term is brilliant and their best freelancing days are ahead.
- 65% of freelancers who left a typical day job to start out freelancing report they make more cash overall than they did working a 9-5 job.
- Of the freelancers who make greater than they did at their desk job, 57% of them reported they blew past their previous salary in lower than 6 months.
- 65% of freelancers reported they are continually upgrading their skills while only 45% of full-time employees said the identical.
- 59% of freelancers say they’ve taken part in specific skills training within the last half-year compared with only 36% of their desk-job counterparts.
Freelance Statistics FAQs
During our research, we found a series of questions people often ask about freelance stats and have done our greatest to reply those questions below.
What number of varieties of freelance work are there?
Popular freelancing site Upwork features 12 primary varieties of freelance work with 173 sub-categories. It’s not possible to place a precise number on how many differing types of freelance work there are, however it’s protected to say there are lots of options if you ought to start freelancing.
What number of hours do freelance writers work?
Most freelance writers report working anywhere from 20-30 hours/week. Since most freelance writers set their very own hours, it very much is dependent upon how many purchasers you have got, how quickly you type, and what number of revisions you receive from a client.
What number of articles do freelance writers write?
Some writers have reported writing twenty to 25 700-1000 word articles every month. This, after all, varies wildly depending on the standard, subject material, or length of your articles.
What number of hours in a contract day?
One report suggests freelancers work a median of 36 hours/week which equates to 7.2 hours per day during a 5-day workweek. In fact, freelancers often set their very own schedules which implies you possibly can theoretically work as many hours as you select.
What number of hours do freelance programmers work?
Depending on whether you’re aiming for growth or for lifestyle, freelance programmers can work anywhere from 20-60 hours in per week.
What number of varieties of freelancers are there?
There are typically 3 various kinds of freelancers: expert freelancers, unskilled freelancers, and other freelancers. Expert freelancers offer a selected skill on the market to their clients. Unskilled freelancers take part in the gig economy. Other freelancers sell digital or physical goods to customers.
What number of freelance photographers are there?
There are an estimated 92,700 freelance photographers in the US alone. This number comes from roughly 147,300 registered skilled photographers with 63% of them having self-identified as freelancers.
What number of freelance writers are there?
There are roughly 238,000 freelance writers in the UK alone. Checking out what number of freelance writers there are in all the world is sort of not possible, but with an estimated 1.2 billion freelancers globally, it’s protected to estimate there are likely hundreds of thousands of freelance writers on the earth.
What number of freelance web sites are there?
There are dozens of freelance web sites throughout the online. The most well-liked (with the very best variety of users) are Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com.
For more options read this.
What number of freelance journalists are there?
Within the UK alone, it’s estimated there are over 50,000 self-identified journalists. But because the role of journalists continues to alter and traditional magazines and newspapers begin to decay, it’s hard to discover what number of freelance journalists there are globally.
Variety of freelance jobs
Between Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiverr, LinkedIn, Indeed, and more, there are hundreds of thousands of recent freelance jobs posted online each yr. As well as, consider local freelance jobs posted in newspapers or local job sites. There isn’t a shortage of freelance work.
The variety of freelancers within the U.S.
Recent Statista data estimates there are over 73 million freelancers in the US and can surge to over 90 million by 2028.
What freelance jobs are in demand?
A recent study highlighted the highest 100 freelance jobs in demand immediately. The highest ten included .NET Core, TypeScript, Landing pages, eBooks, Android, Electronic Design, Presentations, Sketch, Research, and Technical Recruiters.
What number of freelancers are there on Upwork?
There are an estimated 18 Million freelancers on Upwork in quite a lot of different industries. This makes Upwork certainly one of the most important freelancing platforms on the earth.
What number of freelancers are on Fiverr?
In 2019, Fiverr reported a contract user base of 830,000 freelancers in 160 countries. This implies the competition is far smaller than on Upwork or Freelancer.com.
What number of freelancers are in India?
Eventually tally, India had around 15 Million freelancers, second only to the US.
What number of freelancers are in Pakistan?
Currently, there are over 900,000 freelancers working in Pakistan for global clients in quite a lot of industries.
Statistical Sources
Thanks to the numerous hard-working researchers who’ve run helpful, in-depth studies amongst freelancers working around the globe.
As well as, we acknowledge the anecdotal work of unofficial researchers on Quora and Reddit who gather public knowledge to support our findings.
Here are the resources we used to compile this list of freelancer statistics.
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- https://www.statista.com/statistics/921593/gig-economy-number-of-freelancers-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/530909/sources-for-freelancers-to-find-work-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/531012/freelancers-by-age-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/685468/amount-of-people-freelancing-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/531018/education-of-freelancers-us/
- https://www.slideshare.net/upwork/freelancing-in-america-2017/1
- https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024801733-Job-Categories-and-Descriptions
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/530887/top-ten-reasons-for-freelance-work-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/530949/freelancers-income-change-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/530989/readiness-of-non-freelance-workers-to-freelance-us/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1223096/hungary-biggest-worries-of-freelancers/
- https://www.statista.com/chart/10981/freelancers-in-america/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/941807/upwork-revenue-worldwide/
- https://www.slideshare.net/upwork/freelancing-in-america-2017/1
- https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/comments/5zkowy/what_is_your_income_like_and_how_many_hours_do/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/freelanceWriters/comments/bp8wzz/freelance_writers_how_many_articles_do_you_write/
- https://www.quora.com/How-many-hours-do-most-freelance-software-developers-put-in-per-week
- https://studentscholarships.org/careers_salary/154/self_employed/photographers.php
- https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/photographer/job-market/
- https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/16/fiverr-files-to-go-public/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwork
- https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/the-upwork-100-q3-2019
- https://www.zameen.com/blog/freelancing-in-pakistan.htm
- Featured image created by marymarkevich – www.freepik.com
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