From freeCodeCamp, Quincy Larson reviews and discusses the results of a survey of freelancers. He observes that the top reason clients seek services is because the freelancer has a specialized set of skills. He also breaks down the people who were included as freelancers. Quincy writes:
Let’s break the 55 million people who did some freelance work over the past 12 months down by the type of work they’re doing:
- 35% are Independent contractors. They may work for a company — like Uber — but they do so in contractual capacity, and are not technically employees.
- 28% are diversified workers — people who work full-time jobs but also do side gigs for extra cash, such as photographing weddings.
- 25% are moonlighters. They work full-time and also take on additional projects outside of their job that use the same skill set. Think of a designer who works full-time at a product company, then does client work for friends on the weekend.
- 7% are temporary workers who are working on short-term assignments, often through a staffing agency.
- 7% are freelance business owners. Depending on their level of expertise, reputation, and sales skills, they may earn substantially more money than their full time employee counterparts.
Freelancers tend to be slightly younger than the rest of the workforce, but are otherwise demographically similar. They have the same educational background — 40% have at least a bachelor’s degree — and the same ratio of women to men.
Read the full story at 6,000 freelancers talk about money, happiness, and their hopes for the future
