Upwork Report Finds U.S Businesses Increasingly Turn to Independent Talent as a Key Workforce Strategy
Upwork's seventh annual Future Workforce Report highlights the ongoing labor shortage affecting U.S. businesses, with 60% of hiring managers struggling to find quality talent. Despite a challenging hiring landscape, nearly 70% of these managers plan to increase staffing. The report notes significant reliance on independent talent, with 58% of hiring managers intending to engage freelancers in the next six months. Furthermore, 84% of companies using freelancers express confidence in their ability to respond to disruptions, illustrating the strategic value of independent professionals in fostering innovation and agility.
- 58% of hiring managers plan to rely more on freelancers in the next six months.
- 79% of businesses report that freelancers enhance innovation.
- 84% of firms using freelancers feel confident in handling disruptions.
- 60% of hiring managers face challenges in sourcing quality talent.
- High quit rates contribute to the talent shortage.
Companies facing a protracted labor shortage use skilled independent professionals to win the war for talent, innovate their businesses and weather disruption
Despite the robust labor market, businesses continue to face an historically difficult hiring landscape. As the number of available job seekers continues to decline, while the number of Americans who quit their jobs remains at a 20-year high,
“Businesses that engage independent talent are already seeing the benefits of embracing a more adaptable strategy,” said
Key findings from the Upwork Future Workforce Report 2022 reveal:
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Use of skilled independent professionals poised to accelerate: Nearly
60% of hiring managers who engage independent talent say they plan to increasingly rely on freelancers over the next six months (58% ) as well as over the next two years (66% ).
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A majority of businesses are hiring, but struggling to source talent: Nearly
70% of hiring managers (69% ) say they anticipate staffing up over the next six months. At the same time,60% cite difficulties finding quality talent to fill open positions.
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Freelancers help businesses solve the talent shortage: Nearly
80% of hiring managers who engage skilled freelancers say they are confident in their ability to find the talent they need, compared to just63% of those who don’t engage freelancers.
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Independent talent provides access to specialized skills: Of those who hire freelancers,
85% say that working with independent professionals allows them to access talent with specialized skills or expertise.
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Independent talent unlocks innovation:
79% of businesses agree that working with independent talent enables their business to be more innovative.
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Organizations that work with independent talent are more confident about withstanding turmoil: Among those hiring managers who use freelancers,
84% say they are confident in their company’s ability to respond to disruption, compared to69% of those who do not use freelancers.
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Most in-demand roles: The top job categories hiring managers need to fill most urgently are Accounting (
33% ), IT & Networking (30% ), and Operations (29% ). Over the next six months,52% say Customer Support will be a top position they seek to fill.
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Toughest roles to hire: Respondents report the roles that will be hardest to hire for are in Data Science and Analytics (
60% ), followed by Architecture and Engineering (58% ), and IT & Networking (58% ).
To read the full report, please visit www.upwork.com/research/future-workforce-report-2022.
About Upwork’s Future Workforce Report
The report was conducted by independent research firm ClearlyRated. This is the seventh year the survey has been conducted. This report uses survey data to understand hiring trends and sentiments among hiring managers. More than 1,000
About Upwork
Upwork is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to over
About ClearlyRated
ClearlyRated is a global leader in human capital management research. The firm powers satisfaction and thought leadership studies for hundreds of top firms within the space and leverages more than 300,000 survey responses annually to provide insight into the millions who work in the gig economy and the companies who hire them. For more information, visit https://www.clearlyrated.com/.
1 https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/JTSQUR
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220825005101/en/
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Source: Upwork
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