The Future of Work is Online Freelancing
By Sheeroh Murega
Everywhere we look across the globe, we can see massive change taking place in the work
force. Thanks to online freelancing websites such as Odesk, Elance, and Freelancer, companies
can now connect to online freelancers who can complete jobs for them. Companies hire freelancers
because it saves them money, they don't have to pay for health insurance or other benefits
for freelance workers, the work they need done gets done quickly, and companies now have access
to thousands of workers with skills in multiple areas.
In the recent years, online freelancing has experienced a boom. Companies are cutting
full-time employment and searching for freelance help instead. In 2001 9.2 percent of American
people worked at home freelancing online. In 2014 it is estimated that one in every three Americans
do online freelance jobs. It is expected that by 2020, 50 percent of the American workforce
will be doing online freelancing jobs.
There are many online freelancing sites online that connect companies with freelancers
each one differing slightly from the last. PeoplePerHour offers work that can be done in one
hour, Odesk offers work ranging from an hour to many months. There are many other freelancing
websites such as WorkAna, TaskRabbit, and Juggle. Many of these sites have seen a surge of
freelancers along with a surge of companies looking to hire.
On December 18, 2013 two of these online freelancing sites, Elance and Odesk, announced
a merger stating "The new entity will be well positioned to deliver the most advanced tools
for hiring and collaborating online." Odesk stated that the reason for the merge was, "Both
companies are leading innovators driving the adoption of online work. Combined, we will have
the resources to invest in products and services that serve customers better." Elance also
recently announced they would be opening an office in Egypt but Elance is not the only freelance
website in Egypt or the Middle East, Elance will have to compete with sites such as Nabbes,
Jobzela, and Laimoon.
All of this growth involving freelancing websites is great news for those looking for
online freelancing jobs. With freelancing jobs taking off all over the world, it is no surprise
that a site like Fiverr.com has experienced so much growth. Fiverr was founded in 2009 with
the aim of providing a platform for people to buy and sell a variety of small services offered
by freelancers. Since 2011 Fiverr has grown 600 percent, and has been ranked among the top 200 most
popular sites in the US.
According to Matt Cooper the Vice President of enterprise and international at oDesk,
"It is expected that online freelancing jobs will continue to grow and be the new norm when
it comes to employment in the future, there are a couple of trends underway that are determining
what the future of work looks like. One trend is the move towards a freelance economy. The
fluidity that we're moving in and out of jobs is increasing. We're headed to a world where
you're working for five companies at one time, instead of one company for five years..."
Online freelancing is not suitable for everyone. You will need a lot of self-motivation
and self-discipline. Failure and success is entirely your responsibility but thanks to the
hard economic times and the appeal of a flexible lifestyle that many desire, one thing is for
sure: Freelancing is here to stay!
If you believe that online freelancing is for you, take action today. Sign up with Elance,
odesk, people per hour or freelancer.com and start this remarkable journey. Visit
Work Online Kenya
for amazing tips, tricks and techniques on how to make money as a freelancer.
| 
About BTH
User Agreement
Privacy
Site Map
Contact
News Feeds
RSS Feed
Follow @Stephen Bucaro
Start Your Own Web Business
