Businesses are increasingly using the services of
freelance workers, a new study shows.
Pollster Chinwag found that, in 2007, more than three-quarters (75.8 per cent) of the organisations questioned had used
freelance or contracted workers, and a massive majority (65.3 per cent) said their use of freelance workers had increased last year.
The increase was particularly marked in the travel, leisure and retail sectors, and there was also a growing need for freelance workers in the recruitment, marketing and technical sectors.
Other results showed that this trend of increasing
freelancer requirement is not universally predicted to continue into 2009, but the outlook is still relatively bright.
In the digital field, the "climate across the sector seems unlikely to dampen the enthusiasm of skilled workers to head down the
freelance route in 2008".
A growing number of freelance workers are using online marketplaces such as
PeoplePerHour.com to find work with companies.