Financial strains drive demand for IT freelancers

Roles such as web design, development and online marketing now constitute 31 per cent of all freelance jobs

Financial instability is driving demand for IT freelancers

Financial instability has caused demand for IT freelancers to grow faster than any other sector, according to freelance recruitment web site PeoplePerHour.com.

Roles such as web design, development and online marketing now constitute 31 per cent of all jobs posted on the site.

“There is clearly a growing awareness that digital services can be efficiently and effectively outsourced to skilled individual freelancers, rather than costly agencies and contracting firms,” said Xenios Thrasyvoulou, CEO and founder of the web site.

The site’s recent in-depth Small Business Survey of 360 UK businesses revealed that 38 per cent of respondents planned to increase their use of digital freelancers over the next two years.

“A returning degree of optimism means businesses are looking to invest in developing and marketing their web infrastructures,” said Thrasyvoulou.

“However, there is still a reluctance to employ permanent staff. Therefore, freelancers are meeting the huge demand for their skills and expertise, which is why so many of our most successful freelancers offer digital services,” he added.

Atif Paracha, PeoplePerHour.com’s all-time top-ranked freelancer, has been freelancing for two years, during which time he has built a virtual web development agency.

Paracha believes UK businesses are increasingly confident about engaging the services of freelancers, and this is reflected in the growing quality and size of IT projects that are open to freelancers.

“Over the past two years we’ve seen the market for digital freelancers mature considerably. On the one hand there is more demand for their skills from businesses that are reluctant to commit to employing permanent, in-house members of staff.

"On the other hand, there is a growing number of highly skilled and experienced freelancers who are meeting the demand,” he said.

Mark Treble is another freelance web developer, who works from home in Halifax. Treble said that he made the leap into full-time freelancing when he realised it could increase his earnings.

“The recession forced many small businesses to cut in-house staff numbers. As a direct result, the amount of work on offer for remote freelancers shot through the roof as businesses preferred to outsource their IT functions to expert individuals,” he said.

“I have no regrets about going freelance – the lifestyle and money is better than when I was working full time, in-house for a company.”