SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – January 11, 2022 – Upwork (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s work marketplace, has announced the 10 most in-demand skills for technology, marketing, and customer service independent talent on a freelance site-Upwork in 2022.
Digital transformation, operations obstacles, and an ever-evolving labor market continue to fundamentally change how the U.S. works. In part due to The Great Resignation and the millions of Americans who voluntarily left full-time positions over the past year, many organizations are experiencing challenges finding and retaining highly-skilled talent.
“Every company is vying for the best talent to stay competitive. This often means looking beyond hiring traditional full-time employees to find independent talent that offer advanced skills in areas like technology, marketing, or customer service,” said Margaret Lilani, VP of Talent Solutions at Upwork. “Our data indicates that not only is there a huge demand for a broad range of professional skills, but also businesses big and small are shifting their approach to accessing talent and looking to freelancers to fill critical skills gaps.”
-Upwork
According to a recent Upwork research, skilled remote freelancing is still expanding. This past year, 53 percent of all freelancers offered specialized skills like computer programming or marketing, up from 50 percent the year before. According to Upwork’s rankings of the most in-demand skills, highly skilled independent workers will be crucial to bridging talent gaps and meeting organizations’ most urgent needs in 2022.
Upwork’s top 10 most in-demand tech skills;
- Web Design
- WordPress
- Web Programming
- JavaScript
- CSS
- HTML
- PHP
- Shopify
- API
- Graphic Design
Upwork’s top 10 most in-demand marketing skills;
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO
- Lead Generation
- B2B Marketing
- Marketing Strategy
- Social Media Management
- Email Marketing
- Marketing Research
Upwork’s top 10 most in-demand customer service skills:
- Customer Service
- Customer Support
- Email Communication
- Phone Support
- Email Support
- Communication Etiquette
- Online Chat Support
- Answering Product Questions
- Data Entry
- Administrative Support
Among the list of most in-demand skills, those with the highest year-over-year growth on the Upwork platform are Web Programming (43%), Web Design (31%), and Social Media Marketing (25%).
“After years of working in customer service at various brick-and-mortar businesses, I switched to working on Upwork and was immediately blown away by the demand for my services and how my skill set and client base were growing everyday, thanks to the platform,” said Chloe Bahal, a customer service expert. “I’ve been on Upwork for almost 10 years now and have worked with many interesting businesses — from electric scooter companies to bookstores — all while having the financial freedom to spend more time with my loved ones and the flexibility to work from wherever I want.”
-Upwork
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About Methodology
Skills data was sourced from the Upwork database and is based on gross services volume from January 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021. Each skill had a minimum of 500 projects posted during the period. Year-over-year growth was estimated by comparing the gross services volume in 2021 to gross services volume in the same period in 2020.
-Upwork
