The number of freelance jobs increased amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Freelancer’s “Fast 50” report on the freelance job market.
Findings showed that the number of freelance jobs rose by more than 25% during the April to June quarter of 2020, compared to the first three months of the year.
The report identified patterns from the top 50 fastest growing and declining jobs on the site’s marketplace. It covers Europe, North America, and Asia.
The rise in the number of freelance job openings mirrors a change in the post-Covid-19 jobs landscape.
Companies now reevaluate budgets and choose to run a more flexible workforce. However, Freelancer’s CEO Matt Barrie pointed out that it signifies a growing interest among employees to pursue independent work.
“While Covid-19 has been the trigger of the already upward trending freelancer movement, this exponential growth can also be attributed to the strong demand for individuals to finally start their own freelance enterprise, work on their own terms and supplement their income,” said Barrie.
Freelance job postings increased by 41% to 605,000 in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, the report shows.
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ International Labour Organization noted last week that the number of working hours lost in the second quarter was almost equivalent of 400 million full-time jobs.
“I do foresee that this crisis will extend well into 2021, and there will be a permanent step-change in both working from home and the use of freelancers by businesses,” Barrie added.
Top freelance jobs
The report revealed that freelance jobs directly connected to the pandemic recorded the biggest surge in demand from employers in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, there was a 99.6% increase over the quarter for jobs related to mathematical modeling, such as Matlab, mathematics, and algorithm projects. The total of job openings for this area is 16,501. Statistics and statistical analysis roles also recorded a major increase at 75% to 7,397 jobs.
According to the report, the sources of such demand are health-care institutions, businesses, governments, and media organizations, which need number crunchers to “interpret, analyze and report” data on hospitalizations, cases, testing, mortality rates, as well as the effects of the pandemic.
Demand for mathematicians
The usage of competitive trading platforms and investment sites also increased. This also resulted in huge demand for algorithm projects under listings such as mathematics or the trading program metatrader.
Barrie stressed that the uptick takes place as demand for mathematics and algorithm-related skills increase. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for mathematicians and statistician in 2028 is predicted to increase by 30% from 2018 levels. The average annual salary for such positions is $92,030 — or $44.25 per hour.
Meanwhile, there has been a huge demand for home entertainment and online shopping as well as workers with applicable skills. Demand for game designers and game developers rose by 68% and 64% respectively in the second quarter, while job openings for e-commerce professionals increased by 54.4%.
Moreover, listings for face-to-face jobs recorded the worst declines over the period, falling by 35.6%.
