MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA–(Marketwire – Aug 8, 2011) – Elance, the leading platform for online employment, released its quarterly Online Employment Report today, revealing strong momentum in online work during a tumultuous summer for the U.S. and global economy. With a current run rate of 600,000 jobs posted per year, demand for talent from companies ranging from startups to enterprises have increased over 61% year over year. Online contractors earned a record $34.3 million, up from $30.7 million in the previous quarter. Businesses hiring online and freelance professionals sparked a 23% increase in a single quarter in both the population of contractors and employers working online.
“Companies are gaining agility by hiring in the cloud and working with contractors anywhere at any time,” said Fabio Rosati, CEO of Elance. “At the same time, professionals who work online are finding more opportunities to follow their passion while remaining independent.”
The record setting amount of work completed was fueled by increasing demand across the board, including content creators such as Illustrators, Designers, Writers, Content Moderators and Programmers with hot skills such as Android, WordPress and Magento. To review the full Elance Online Employment Report, please click here.
Notable hiring trends this past quarter include:
It’s High Tide for Content Creators
The proliferation of digital businesses, in social media, search engine optimization and online marketing, continues to drive demand for high quality content that increases customer acquisition and engagement. The demand for Business Writers is peaking this summer with a 21% increase, jumping 9 spots on the charts to #23. Blog Writing also saw a 9% increase in demand as businesses look to keep customers engaged in unique ways.
Infographics are the New Black
Demand for Infographics jumped a whopping 148% in one quarter. This growing trend of visual representation led Illustrators to a 27% increase in demand, causing a 9-position climb in Q2, and Photographers saw a 30% growth in demand.
WordPress Presses its Lead in the Content Management Race
More people than ever are turning to robust Content Management Systems (CMS) as their platform of choice when creating a new website for business. While demand for Drupal and Joomla! Programmers both saw a 5% increase in demand, WordPress Programmers accelerated their lead with a very strong 11% growth and maintained the #2 slot on Elance for the third consecutive quarter.
Gearing up for the Holiday Season
Even though the summer heat still lingers on, some businesses already have their sights set for the holiday season and are now expanding their online stores by hiring a multitude of Ecommerce Experts. Magento, recently acquired by eBay, is one of the fastest growing, open source Ecommerce platforms in the market. On Elance, Magento Programmers moved up 10 slots to #48 with a 21% jump in demand in Q2.
Summer Gamers
Casual gaming has accelerated its popularity, causing a surge in the number of Game Development and Game Programming jobs posted on Elance. Demand for Game Developers and Programmers jumped 29% in Q2.
Mobile Battleground: Apple on Fire
Demand for Android skills rose by 15% while the demand for Blackberry skills increased slightly by 3% and Windows Phone declined by 37%. However, the big winner this quarter appears to be Apple, as demand for iOS Programmers and Xcode skills showed impressive increases of 20% and 35% respectively. It’s possible that the recent announcements at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) contributed to the increase in demand.
Average Commute: 1,167 Miles
Unconstrained by geography, the average telecommute for U.S. Elancers is 1,167 miles. California has the highest number of businesses hiring online, with Texas and New York following close behind. However, New York continues to be the U.S. capital for online work, claiming the #1 spot in IT and Marketing and #2 in Creative.
About Elance
Elance, the world’s leading platform for online work, helps businesses hire and manage in the cloud.
For businesses looking to staff-up a team on an hourly or project basis, Elance offers instant access to qualified professionals who work online. Elance provides the tools to hire, view work as it progresses and pay for results. Elance is faster and more cost-effective than job boards, staffing firms and traditional outsourcing.
For skilled professionals who want to work online, Elance offers access to qualified clients, a virtual workplace and guaranteed pay for great work. Contractors have already earned more than $410 million on the Elance platform.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit Elance at www.elance.com.
