7 Freelance Trends to Watch in 2017
There can be no question that the freelancer movement has taken hold on a global scale. Intuit predicts that by 2020, 40% of the American workforce will be freelancers. The U.S. is not the only place where freelancers are enjoying success. Estimates are that within the next five years, half of the UK’s workforce will freelance, and India already boasts a whopping 15 million freelancers.
What does 2017 hold in store for freelancers globally? What trends will impact your freelance career? Let’s take a look.
1. More workers will join the freelancer ranks
With freelancing by choice becoming more mainstream, it is highly likely that more and more workers will choose freelancing in the upcoming year. Modern technologies that put informational resources literally at workers’ fingertips enable an increasing number of professionals from multiple industries to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that freelancing provides.
Additionally, as more and more freelancers make a success of their chosen career path, it seems likely that their example will spur on others with an entrepreneurial spirit to try their hand at freelancing as well.
2. Employers will fully embrace the blended workforce
Another trend giving impetus to the increase in freelancers is the steady adoption of the blended workforce concept in organizations today. Forbes notes: “In the past five years, the gig economy has become a major trend impacting the global workforce, and has created a new kind of diversity, with full-time permanent employees working side-by-side with freelancers. A study exploring the gig economy found that 93% of companies already identify the blended workforce as they’re seeing freelance workers teaming up with employees to work on projects together.”
As managers become more adept at working effectively with a blended workforce and companies begin to reap the benefits of access to truly global talent, freelancers will be in high demand.
3. Freelancers will make more money
2017 will likely also see a rise in revenue for most freelancers. This will be due, in part, to adoption of the blended workforce, as already stated.
However, there will be another big driving factor for increased freelancer revenue in the upcoming year. As freelancing in general has matured as a work strategy, those who embraced the freelancer lifestyle early on have learned a thing or two about how to maximize profit.
Freelancers today are no longer necessarily thought of as “cheap labor” because they have learned how to price their services according to their actual worth. Cloudpeeps puts it this way: “Freelancers are becoming increasingly savvy in how they package and market their skills to clients. Much of freelance success is based on understanding what your client needs, how you can help them, and how you structure each job. As more freelancers join the workforce, we’ll see them share their findings and learn from each other, and ultimately become more profitable business owners.”
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4. Freelancers will collaborate and cooperate to take on bigger projects
Freelancers will an established client base will increase their client offerings in the coming year by partnering on a project-by-project basis with other freelancers. This is the next logical step in freelancing because it benefits both the client and all the freelancers involved.
After all, there is ample evidence that hiring a freelancer is a great way to get your projects done, so why shouldn’t freelancers themselves leverage the skills and talents of other freelancers to grow their own businesses?
5. Skilled tech freelancers will see an explosion of increased project opportunities
Granted, tech skills being in high demand is not a new trend. However, considering exciting emerging technology trends such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and intelligent apps, the future is indeed bright for freelancers with strong tech skills.
Inc. notes regarding the use of freelancers in the tech field: “In response to the high salaries and extensive job perks dangled in front of top developers by high-powered companies, companies are wisening up to the fact that many of the most talented developers in the world are freelancers, and that resizing teams on the fly is easier than ever.”
6. Freelancers will continue to embrace tech tools of the trade
Speaking of technology, freelancers in general, whether in the tech field or otherwise, will continue to use available technologies to get the job done. Whether it is time management and organizational tools like Google Drive, Trello, and Freedcamp or business processing tools such as accounting software, e-signature software, or payment processing solutions, freelancers will continue to find and use new technologies to make their work easier and more efficient.
7. More freelancers will choose to make freelancing their only career
Many freelancers who have picked up projects on the side for several years will move to a more permanent freelance stance in 2017. A 2015 Contently study found that two-thirds of freelancers surveyed intended to remain freelancers for the next decade.
So far, it would seem freelancers are living up to those intentions. Kate Kendall of CloudPeeps notes: “Our own data backs up this trend as well. Almost every day, a Peep tells us that they’ve quit their job to pursue full-time freelance work. The future is moving closer and closer to fully supporting the freelance economy.”
How to Pay and Get Paid as a Freelancer
If you are one of the millions of freelancers pursuing your career dreams, trends indicate that you can look forward to a bright 2017. As more workers join the freelance ranks, you may find it easier than ever to collaborate with fellow freelancers to take on bigger and more profitable projects in the coming year.
To ensure that such collaborations go smoothly, do not forget to have a payment processing plan in place. Payoneer’s global payment processing platform makes it easy to receive global payments and to initiate payments for the services of others as well. Take a look at Payoneer’s solution for freelancers today!