The most in-demand skills for freelancers in 2022

2 years ago 528

Freelancing level Upwork says request for autarkic skilled workers is rising owed to the Great Resignation, and these lists of skills are what organizations want.

Freelancing level Upwork has released a trio of lists containing the apical 10 astir in-demand skills for freelancers moving successful the tech, selling and lawsuit work industries.

We're inactive successful the midst of a monolithic spike successful workers quitting their jobs, dubbed the Great Resignation, successful which countless skilled workers person near their jobs owed to stress, burnout and myriad different reasons. Now, faced with a idiosyncratic shortage and a request to capable gaps quickly, businesses are scrambling to bring freelancers onboard.

Upwork's database of apical skills for freelancers successful 2022 comes connected the heels of a study it issued astir the authorities of freelancing that recovered plentifulness of grounds that freelancing—particularly among individuals Upwork considered skilled—is increasing.

SEE: Checklist: Return to work (TechRepublic Premium)

Thirty-six percent of the U.S. workforce was considered freelance successful 2021, which study writer and Upwork Chief Economist Adam Ozimek said is accordant with erstwhile years, but with a large difference. "We recovered a driblet successful impermanent workers, but an summation successful skilled freelancing. That freelancing wide has not grown is owed to a diminution among temp enactment and little freelancing among the slightest educated. Skilled freelancing, successful contrast, continues to grow, and arsenic a effect those with the astir acquisition are freelancing much than ever," Ozimek said.

Upwork defines skilled freelancers arsenic those "that bespeak that their existent freelance enactment entails selling skilled services," which it said includes programming, writing, design, IT and different professions that necessitate a assemblage grade oregon the acquisition to backmost up one's qualifications. In 2021, 53% of freelancers qualified arsenic skilled, Upwork said, which was a 3% summation implicit the erstwhile year.

"Our information indicates that not lone is determination a immense request for a wide scope of nonrecreational skills, but besides businesses large and tiny are shifting their attack to accessing endowment and looking to freelancers to capable captious skills gaps," said Margaret Lilani, VP of endowment solutions astatine Upwork.

The astir in-demand freelance skills successful 2022

So, what skills should you make if you program to freelance successful 2022? If you're successful the tech, selling oregon lawsuit work sectors, Upwork has you covered.

The 10 astir in-demand freelance tech skills

Web design
WordPress
Web programming
JavaScript
CSS
HTML
PHP
Shopify
API
Graphic design

The 10 astir in-demand freelance selling skills

Social media marketing
Lead generation
Facebook
SEO
B2B marketing
Instagram
Marketing strategy
Social media management
Email marketing
Marketing research

The 10 astir in-demand freelance lawsuit work skills

Customer service
Customer support
Email communication
Phone support
Email support
Communication etiquette
Online chat support
Answering merchandise questions
Data entry
Administrative support

The top year-over-year maturation connected Upwork has been successful web programming (43% YoY growth), web plan (31%) and societal media selling (25%). If you're skilled successful 1 of those areas, this whitethorn beryllium the motion you've been looking for that it's clip to see going freelance.

Is freelancing the aboriginal for skilled professionals?

Freelancing tin beryllium wonderful: It gives you state and power of your enactment and your docket successful a mode that being employed afloat clip can't match, but for each its benefits, the thought of freelancing arsenic the caller mean does person its problems.

A station from Upwork connected reasons to prosecute freelancers includes outgo reduction, liability simplification and a deficiency of committedness to the freelancer arsenic reasons companies prosecute freelancers, which makes sense, but besides makes it look that, from a institution perspective, freelancers are a mode to get results without having to instrumentality connected immoderate hazard oregon investment.

SEE: The COVID-19 sex gap: Why women are leaving jobs and however to get them backmost to work. (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

There's been nary shortage of articles written that mention reasons wherefore employees are quitting en masse, and astir of it comes down to being unhappy with their employer. With the solution to the Great Resignation being "hire freelancers," it makes it look arsenic if companies are little acrophobic with addressing the reasons workers are quitting, and alternatively person decided to simply not prosecute imperishable employees anymore.

Time volition archer whether organizations with a ample fig of freelance workers volition proceed to opt for freelancers implicit imperishable unit oregon whether further organizations volition commencement replacing imperishable positions with freelance ones. I've reached retired to Upwork to spot if they person immoderate predictions oregon person noticed immoderate trends similar those, and volition update this nonfiction with immoderate responses oregon clarifications.