The Fastest Growing Freelance Jobs For Q3 2016

The way we work is changing. The gig economy is booming, and according to one study, freelancers will make up 40 percent of the workforce by 2020. But not all freelancers are equally in-demand. It all comes down to skills.

Recently, Freelancer.com released a report analyzing the 440,781 jobs posted on the site during the third quarter of 2016. The site then identified the fastest-growing freelance jobs, compared with the previous quarter, and the skills needed to acquire them.

1. Photography: 22.3 percent increase

Jobs for photographers grew by about 22 percent in Q3. The report’s authors attribute the increase to employers “finally understanding the importance of high-quality pictures on their landing pages.” The desire to expand and improve websites through employing trained, creative professionals was something of a recurring theme throughout this list.

2. German: 22.2 percent increase

Work that requires German language skills also grew significantly during the third quarter of 2016. Those who wish to work as German translators might be in luck these days. The authors of this report present several potential explanations for this rapid growth:

“The specific reasons for this can be plenty, however from understanding the current political implications experienced from the Brexit vote in Europe, much has been made of Germany and Berlin in particular trying to lure companies away from London and the UK…” the report states. “…Adding to this demand, Freelancer.com now has German language Customer Support in its European offices as well as seeing user numbers in Germany scale by a whopping 30% in the past 12 months. The region is very much now the focus of many Eurpean businesses, cementing the recent confidence in Berlin and Germany as a European hub of innovation.”

3. Video Editing: 19.2 percent increase

Video editors likely benefited from the same factors that caused the increase in photography jobs. It stands to reason that this kind of work expands alongside the need for increasingly sophisticated and appealing website designs.

“This growth is further backed by Video Editing making an appearance at number 3 on the list with a 19% increase,” the report states, “as video content becomes one of the initial draws and call to actions for most customer-focused websites. Heavy video marketing through social media also increases this demand.”

4. Virtual Assistant: 17.6 percent increase

Companies are always looking to save money, and outsourcing some roles to freelancers can help. Virtual assistants can perform many of the duties of full-time staffers, but with less commitment. These workers could help expand a business, or just encourage things to run more smoothly.

5. Branding: 16.4 percent increase

Jobs for workers with branding skills were also on the rise during the third quarter of 2016, most likely thanks to “small businesses’ need to create cohesive and consistent strategies for their companies online,” according to the report.

For more information, read the full report at Freelancer.com.

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