FlexJobs Releases 2023 State Of Remote Freelance Jobs Report
Career service spotlights top remote freelance careers, companies hiring, and in-demand job titles.
Due largely to an increasingly remote world of work, freelance jobs are becoming more accessible than ever before. In fact, recent reports have indicated that nearly 40 percent of the U.S. workforce — or 60 million Americans — performed freelance work in the past year alone. To help job seekers navigate the dynamic freelance economy and identify future career opportunities, FlexJobs has analyzed its freelance remote job listings to produce its 2023 State of Remote Freelance Jobs Report.
The career service’s latest report details the top five remote freelance careers on the rise and the five remote freelance careers cooling down, as well as examples of top in-demand freelance job titles and the top companies hiring freelance workers. To compile the report, FlexJobs analyzed more than 58,000 companies across 50 career categories and their job posting histories in its database between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022.
“Over the past few years, freelancing has become a more widely accepted, attainable, and valued career path,” said Sara Sutton, Founder and CEO at FlexJobs. “Greater job flexibility and remote work options have encouraged workers to pursue more autonomous career approaches, and at the same time, companies are more willing to rely on freelance professionals to fill talent gaps. We hope our latest findings underscore the important role freelancers will continue to play across industries and in the future of work,” Sutton added.
Remote Freelance Careers on the Rise
According to FlexJobs’ State of Remote Freelance Jobs Report, the five career categories below had the highest growth in 2022 over 2021, and all are considered to be strong remote freelance job prospects for workers in 2023.
Each category grew by at least 28%, with communications (71%) and bookkeeping (66%) experiencing significantly high growth rates and the remaining fields scaling more modestly.
Conversely, the five categories below declined in freelance remote jobs in 2022, most significantly education and training (fell 26%), customer service (21%), and medical and health (20%).
Remote Freelance Careers Cooling Down
- Education & Training
- Customer Service
- Medical & Health
- HR & Recruiting
- Project Management
Ordered from highest to lowest, the top 10 companies with the most remote freelance job postings in 2022 were:
- Kforce
- LHH – Lee Hecht Harrison
- BELAY
- Kelly
- TELUS International
- Aston Carter
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group
- Akraya
- Solomon Page
- Amplify Education
Top 10 Remote Freelance Job Titles
According to FlexJobs’ database, the top 10 most popular remote freelance job titles companies hired for in 2022 were:
- Executive Assistant
- Recruiter
- Customer Service Representative
- Bookkeeper
- Graphic Designer
- Copywriter
- Social Media Manager
- Project Manager
- Payroll Specialist
- Paralegal
How To Find Freelance Jobs
Whether workers are new or seasoned freelance professionals, FlexJobs’ Career Coaching team has shared advice on finding freelance job opportunities and the steps to building a successful freelance career.
When searching for a freelance job, start searches with the freelance category, or use it as a keyword. “Freelance” may also go by other names like:
- Freelance Job: A person works for themselves, not a company (meaning they are self-employed)
- Contract Work: Works as a temporary contract worker, rather than a permanent employee
- Independent Contractor: Work terms are specified by a contract with another company or individual, which is how the IRS classifies this type of work
- 1099: Used to describe the type of job and refers to the IRS form an independent contractor fills out: form 1099-MISC
- Contract Consultant: Someone who is hired for temporary consultations for specific issues within a company
- Contract-to-Hire: A job that begins as a freelance, independent contractor position but has the potential to become a regular employee position
5 Steps to Building a Successful Freelance Career
1. Know the Market
Before quitting a day job, buying a website, or going “all in” on freelancing, do some market research first to understand any competition and ensure there’s a demand for the desired freelance field and the service offered.
2. Establish a Brand
After determining there’s a need for one’s services, create a strong personal brand to help potential clients understand why you’re an expert at what you do. What are the unique skills, attributes, and abilities that no one else possesses?
3. Plan Finances
One of the realities of freelancing is the feast-or-famine cycle. Sometimes there’s too much work, and other times, not enough. Building a financial cushion will help freelance workers weather famines.
4. Prepare Your Business
It’s crucial to balance passion for the job with the more routine activities of a freelance business. This includes finding health insurance, planning for retirement, paying self-employment taxes, and dealing with more mundane tasks like ordering office supplies and tracking time.
5. Find a Mentor
Just like a mentor can help with navigating a traditional career, a freelance mentor can help professionals navigate their freelance career. Learning from someone who knows the ins and outs of freelancing can help with finding a path to career success.
