Growing three times faster than the traditional workforce, freelancers are anticipated to be the future of the workforce largely on accounts of technological developments and shifts in work paradigms. On one hand, collaborative platforms make it easy for freelancers to communicate; on the other hand, digital platforms make it easy to find work and cross-border payment platforms make it easy to get paid.

The findings of the Freelancing in America Survey suggest that a considerable majority of freelancers have positive perceptions with regards to the future of their livelihoods. Statistically, around 86% of freelancers reported that the best days are still ahead for the gig workers and about 71% of freelance workers stated that perception of freelancing as a career is transforming and advancing to become more positive.

The most in-demand field of work for freelancers is web and graphic design, followed by programming and IT. These fields are not necessarily the most financially lucrative ones given the rates are pressed downwards on account of oversaturation (2020 Freelance Income Report). To earn better, freelancers are free to explore options with high demand and low competition.

With the increasing popularity, freelance is destined to become more competitive with time. To stay relevant and successful in the times to come, one must stay attuned to changing needs, adjust skills to match the evolving requirements, and explore innovative ways to promote services and create value for the clients.

In the March of 2020, we witnessed the world come to a sudden halt due to the onset of new Coronavirus that transformed our lives, swept through our economies, and overdrove the future of work; transitioning millions of workers into freelance professionals.

As the virus raged, employers were forced to downsize and countless people across the globe got a flavor of the gig economy in an attempt to make their ends meet. Subsequently, freelance marketplaces reported a significant growth in the number of new freelancers joining the platform along with the steadiness in demand of their services. Interestingly, a report by Payoneer states that the hourly rate of the majority of the freelancers remained stable and over 17% saw their business increase.

Coronavirus catalyzed a shift in the conventional work setup with the acceptance of remote work that will continue to lubricate freelancing. This forced shift to the remote has proven to be feasible, productive, and sustainable. The pandemic reduced the difference between a freelancer and an employee to virtually nothing when they are both working remotely. Regimented schedule, unmanageable workload, temperamental bosses or office politics, and perhaps even a lengthy commute sound like things of the past!

The long-term future of self-employed workers post-Covid-19 is predicted to be quite promising. With remote work developing into the “new norm”, Coronavirus has certainly accelerated the global workforce movement as the global economy came to a halt. According to the report The State of Freelancing During Covid-19, 53% of the freelancers believe that the demand for their services will increase from what it was before the pandemic, with a further 21% expecting the demand to revert back to how it was before the crisis.

While many things will revert back to normal post-pandemic, others will be changed for good. It is speculated that businesses worldwide will continue heading towards a more fluid workforce, connecting with skilled talent locally and internationally in an attempt to adapt to the reshaped economy.

Freelancing certainly seems to be the way forward; unfolding a plethora of opportunities whether you start it as a full-time job or as a side-gig to earn supplemental income.