Freelancers find the globe is their oyster in ‘work anywhere’ world

Freelance tech workers are scanning the world for digital jobs they can do from anywhere.

Remote Working is more and more common for freelancers.

Covid-19 has proved to be not just a global crisis but a global opportunity as the digitisation of business activity accelerates the opportunities for freelance workers to pick up contracts from around the world.

Unlike employees who need permission from their Australian companies to take their laptops to Shepparton or Sweden while still on the payroll, freelancers scan the world’s jobs boards and bid for work.

Fiverr – the online platform connecting freelancers and employers – says its recent survey of more than 400 people who consider themselves “anywhere workers” found half “wanted to live this way forever”; more than 73 per cent said the ability to work and travel where they choose was the best part of their lifestyle; and 50 per cent argued it was the work-life balance of their jobs they most appreciated.

For Fiverr, finding happy campers to fill spots is core to its business, and its 2021 Small Business Needs Index identifies the best freelance jobs around the world. It found the most in-demand skills guaranteeing work and good pay are YouTube monetisation; Google analytics; Shopify SEO services; and web content creation.

The index says Covid has changed businesses permanently with hybrid work and the integration of online and offline operations. It shows the jobs that have trended on the Fiverr platform in the past six months in seven markets, including Australia, where demand for people to work on Google analytics increased 94 per cent; Germany, where demand for 3D illustration went up 547 per cent; and Spain, where demand was up for web page (159 per cent) and TikTok (66 per cent) workers.

In Israel there was demand for graphic designers (up 126 per cent); in The Netherlands, there was a 203 per cent increase in demand for those skilled in modern logo; in Britain YouTube monetisation soared 119 per cent; and in the US it was Canva where demand was highest with an increase of 79 per cent in job vacancies.