Elance, the world’s leading platform for online employment, helps startups hire and manage in the cloud. Elance generously helps many Founder Institute companies by offering a $100 credit in Elance services and other support. The article below highlights findings from the Elance Job Report.
Our partner Elance has great news for “right brain” thinkers everywhere. While job demand rose to record levels in many areas – including most technical fields – their Q2 Global Online Employment Report also points to a dramatic rise in demand for creative skills. For the first time ever the “Creative Economy” is outpacing demand for technical talent. These findings show that companies are now looking for a new way to attract and engage customers.
The chart below shows the percentage of jobs posted by category, indicating Creative took the lead in Q2:
Here are some report highlights:
- While creative skills grabbed the headlines, overall Q2 results showed new records in many online job skills. Hiring was up 35% over the same quarter last year, and contractors earned $47 million in Q2.
- The “Creative Economy” is particularly vibrant, as more than 80,000 jobs posted in Q2 were in the Creative category. That’s up over 62% from a year ago.
- The European economy is improving. Earnings from contractors in Egypt, Greece and Spain experienced sizeable growth in online work, increasing 147%, 122%, and 142% respectively, over the past year.
The report provides an excellent look into online networking trends, and reveals record-breaking growth in online work, with earnings and job opportunities far outpacing the traditional employment economy around the world. Significant findings include skyrocketing demand for creative talent and traditional jobs moving online. Demand for creative skills such as web design (+574%), voice acting (+295%) and content writing (+256%) were each up significantly over a year ago. Companies are investing heavily in creative talent, signaling a shift in how businesses engage customers and commitment to growth. Even with this rise in creative demand, IT demand remains steady.
While technology remains the top earning category for online jobs, more professionals in traditional careers are leaving the cubicle lifestyle for the freedom of online employment. “The ease of working online – coupled with the ability to instantly connect with a highly specialized global talent pool – is driving massive adoption of online work,” said Fabio Rosati, CEO of Elance. “For the first time, demand for technical talent is being matched by equally strong demand for creative talent.”
According to the report, this overall this recent increase in demand has resulted in job growth worldwide, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and increased earnings in 41 out of 50 U.S. states.
Check out their full report here for some interesting insights into the current tech job market.
