With unemployment now officially at 1.97 million • the highest figure since 1997 • and set to rise even further, thousands of recently redundant Britons are selling services through PeoplePerHour.com to compensate for their loss of salary. PeoplePerHour.com has grown very rapidly: from 1500 registered users soon after its launch in January 2008, to more than 24,000 individuals who use the site to advertise and sell services today. The number of people using PeoplePerHour.com is currently growing at a rate of 25% per month. The most popular service offerings include web design, copywriting, financial consultancy and marketing. “When we first launched, the UK was ripe for a website like PeoplePerHour.com,” says founder and CEO Xenios Thrasyvoulou. “With thousands of people being made redundant every day in the UK, there was suddenly huge demand for a resource that enabled people to easily harness their professional skills to earn money.” Thrasyvoulou says PeoplePerHour.com has seen a surge in registrations from former workers in sectors that have been particularly hard-hit by the recession. “It’s notable that in the last six months, the number of people offering financial and legal advice has doubled • largely as a result of City redundancies.” The site isn’t only providing a valuable source of income to former City workers, however. Individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds are turning to the site to find work. For example, Rupert Hughes • a father of three from Oxfordshire • was made redundant from his position as manager of Yell.com’s in-house web development team in October 2008. He now successfully uses PeoplePerHour.com to source ad-hoc work in online marketing. Mr Hughes is now building a client base and intends to remain self-employed as it affords him a much better work-life balance. Likewise, Louise Croft • a mother of two toddlers from Kent • was the victim of the recession twice over, having been made redundant from two different jobs in January 2008 and January 2009. Mrs Croft has since resolved to be self-employed and uses PeoplePerHour.com to find copywriting work for websites and sales letters. “After redundancy, many people look at self-employment as a necessary evil, particularly in the current economic climate,” says Thrasyvoulou. “However, feedback from our registrants has revealed that what starts as a necessity is actually proving a blessing in disguise. Many people are realising that being self-employed has some fantastic benefits • both financially and in terms of improving one’s work-life balance.”
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