Want To Freelance? Here’s The State Of Remote Work & Job Flexibility For 2024

In today’s work landscape, freelancing is no longer a fringe way of working but a formidable career path.

An estimated 64 million US professionals performed freelance work in 2023, and given the demand for remote work and job flexibility, the trend shows few signs of slowing down. To help job seekers navigate the fast-changing remote freelance economy and identify future career opportunities, FlexJobs® has released the 2024 State of Remote Freelance Jobs Report.

The career service’s report details the top 10 remote freelance careers that experienced the highest growth rates in the second half of 2023, as well as examples of the most in-demand freelance job titles and top companies hiring for fully remote freelance workers. To compile the report, FlexJobs analyzed more than 60,000 companies in its database and their job posting histories between July 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

“The rise in freelancers is a great indication of the many workers pursuing their careers with greater autonomy, independence, and flexibility,” said Toni Frana, Lead Career Expert at FlexJobs.

And fortunately as our latest report has shown, there are remote freelance opportunities across a wide range of industries that afford people the freedom to define when, where, and how they work,” Frana added.

Top 10 Career Fields for Remote Freelancers

According to FlexJobs’ State of Remote Freelance Jobs Report, the following 10 career categories experienced the highest growth in remote freelance jobs when comparing listings from January 1 through June 30, 2023, to July 1 through December 31, 2023. All are considered strong fields for remote freelance job prospects in 2024.

1. Bilingual
2. Graphic Design
3. Art & Creative
4. Copywriting
5. Consulting
6. News & Journalism
7. Entertainment & Media
8. Operations
9. Social Media
10. Editing

Among the categories, bilingual, graphic design, art and creative, and copywriting showed the most significant growth. All scaled at least 20% in remote freelance job listings, with bilingual (33%) overtaking the top spot and graphic design (33%) rising to secure second place, up from third the previous year.

Compared to the 2023 report, which was marked by historically strong categories for freelance roles — communications, bookkeeping, accounting and finance, and marketing — the 2024 report showed a steady pace for remote freelance opportunities in new career fields, ranging from news and journalism and consulting to entertainment and media, operations, social media, and editing.

Top 10 Companies & Job Titles for Remote Freelance Jobs

The top 10 companies with the most remote freelance job postings in the second half of 2023 were:

1. TELUS
2. Robert Half International
3. Welocalize
4. BELAY
5. LHH – Lee Hecht Harrison
6. Kforce
7. ModSquad
8. Insight Global
9. Solomon Page
10. Kelly

Additionally, the top 10 in-demand remote freelance job titles included:

1. Virtual Assistant
2. Graphic Designer
3. Project Manager
4. Bookkeeper
5. Copywriter
6. Customer Service Representative
7. Social Media Specialist
8. Video Editor
9. Marketing Manager
10. Communications Specialist

Mirroring the top career categories, remote freelance jobs in 2024 span career levels and industries. Among the top 10 remote freelance job titles, virtual assistants and graphic designers were some of the most sought-after roles, followed closely by project managers, bookkeepers, copywriters, and customer service representatives. Roles in social media, video editing, marketing, and communications rounded out the list, further highlighting the versatility in the current freelance marketplace.

5 Steps to Finding Freelance Work

When pursuing a freelance career, FlexJobs’ career experts advise professionals to try several strategies for finding work and taking their freelance career to the next level.

1. Leverage Professional Networks

Source past job networks and professional contacts––both can create a foundation for building future stability. Contacts for freelance jobs can include anyone from former colleagues to family members, neighbors, and friends.

2. Utilize Social Media

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media channels offer fantastic visibility. It’s increasingly common for recruiters and hiring managers to use social media to source or research talent, so it only makes sense that freelancers should be there, too.

3. Embrace Cold Pitching

Cold pitching is emailing or messaging potential freelance clients to offer services. Research companies, customize emails, and do proper due diligence that will help to meet their needs.

4. Build a Personal Website

No matter the field, sharing experience is key to finding freelance work. Start with a website to showcase skills and accomplishments, which can be as simple as a one-page site with a portfolio of projects.

5. Ask for Referrals

Refrain from assuming that clients already know a referral is wanted. Many customers will forget or move on, no matter how delighted they are after a project ends. Not only that, but they might need help understanding where to share their feedback or how to word it. Make it easy for freelance clients to share testimonials by sending a polite email with a link and a couple of targeted questions they can answer.

FlexJobs is the leading career service specializing in remote, hybrid, and flexible jobs, with over 135 million people using its resources since 2007. It provides the highest-quality database of vetted remote and flexible job listings, from entry-level to executive, startups to public companies, and part-time to full-time. It also offers extensive expert advice, webinars, and other resources to support job seekers in all career journey phases. In parallel, FlexJobs works with leading companies to recruit quality remote talent and optimize their remote and flexible workplaces.