More Americans are freelancing — and as demand for independent workers surges, so has the availability of high-paying freelance opportunities.
The number of professionals freelancing in the U.S. hit an all-time high in 2023, increasing to 64 million people, or 38% of the U.S. workforce, from 60 million the year earlier according to recent research from Upwork.
Businesses are increasingly relying on freelancers to save on headcount and real estate expenses, Yoav Hornung, head of verticals and innovation at Fiverr, recently told CNBC Make It.
Many of these project-based jobs can come with six-figure payouts. The number of independent workers making $100,000 or more a year grew by 53% between 2021 and 2023, according to an October 2023 report by MBO Partners, a provider of back-office services to independent workers.
But the services people are hiring independent contractors for are constantly changing. To help freelancers find the best opportunities, Freelancer.com has identified five in-demand freelance jobs, based on more than 250,000 listings posted on its database between January and March 2024. The earnings information comes from this sample of projects.
All of these jobs can be done from home and pay over $100 per hour:
1. Programming
Average hourly rate: $250
2. eCommerce development and management
Average hourly rate: $250
3. Graphic design
Average hourly rate: $140
4. Transcription
Average hourly rate: $200
5. Creative writing
Average hourly rate: $140
While coding, programming and other tech specialties have long been sought-after freelance services, demand for e-commerce contractors has “exploded” in recent months, Sebastián Siseles, international vice president at Freelancer.com, tells CNBC Make It.
The global e-commerce market has been steadily growing over the last several years, a trend that was accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic when more companies had to shift to online business models. This has sparked demand for other freelance services related to running an e-commerce site, Siseles points out, including user interface design and copywriting.
If you’re interested in freelancing, make sure you understand the timeline of the job you’re applying for and how you’ll be compensated. Freelance jobs may last for part of a day, a week, a month, a year or even longer — and while some jobs are priced hourly, others might have a fixed project rate.
You can also set yourself apart as a freelancer by creating a digital portfolio of work samples to share with prospective clients. To find out where the jobs are and list your own services, consider creating a profile on Upwork, Freelancer.com, Fiverr, TaskRabbit or a different website advertising freelance jobs.
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