Four Predictions for Freelancer 2.0 for 2022
2021 was a year of many changes, with the pandemic accelerating the adoption of remote working and opening up opportunities for freelancers to work with their clients in new areas such as digital marketing and social media. Overall, 2021 saw a rise in the number of freelancers globally.
For us at CreativesAtWork, we have seen the demand for freelancers increase at least 30% in 2021. Likewise, we are also seeing more people join the industry and starting to make freelancing their career of choice.
Here are a few of our predictions on how the future of freelancing will be shaped in 2022:
1. Freelancers will have to multi-task and multi-skill even more
Freelancing is a very competitive field because you are not only competing against larger agencies to gain more projects, but you’re also competing against your fellow freelancers who are also quite likely targeting the same client pool as you.
Freelancers need to diversify their skill set, especially since this will mean that they can get a competitive advantage and stand out from the rest of the market better by offering more services than their competitors. It’s not a one-size-fits-most solution, but it might just seem like the better option as it might even help boost your attractiveness in the eyes of your potential clients.
2. More smaller jobs, but longer retainer period, fewer big jobs
As businesses (both big and small) are trying to recover from the pandemic, the budget will be tight especially for marketing related projects. However, at the same time, businesses know that they have to enhance their digital presence.
Hence, there will be more smaller projects made available on the market. This will also mean that there will be a decrease in the number of bigger projects which may come down to agencies or companies breaking up the projects into smaller pieces and distributing them across a few freelancers. This will make the project more cost-efficient and also means that the project will take a shorter amount of time to complete.
Although this may not sound ideal for freelancers who have been depending on singular large projects to cover their costs for the month, it also means that the retainer period will be much longer as the jobs are much smaller. Basically, you will be able to take on more projects through this new system, which will make your time worth just that much more.
3. More recognition for freelancers
As the number of freelancers increases, the public’s perception of freelancing will also change. We feel that freelancing will go through a professionalizing process that will establish itself as a viable career option.
With more people joining the freelancing landscape, the authorities, stakeholders, supporting communities, and the entire ecosystem will start to support this growing pool of workers. Freelancing will be recognised as a profession in time to come.
4. Multiple sources of income
This fourth prediction ties in with the effects that the rising number of freelancers will bring. Today, there are already many creators on social media who have built strong content channels by sharing their thoughts, as well as tips, on how to make freelancing a long-term occupation.
This means that as the number of freelancers increases, the more experienced freelancers will be more encouraged to branch out from offering their skills and services for hire, and instead pivot into content creation.
This can be in the form of creating YouTube videos telling you how to effectively be a freelancer by tapping into their own experience, or through podcasts talking about the things that they have been through as a freelancer. Content may just prove itself to be the future of freelancing.
You may also see a number of freelancers move into the education space as well, with some offering courses much like the ones you see online on how to become an entrepreneur. Since freelancing is basically built on the same entrepreneurial concept, it’s easy to see how some of the more experienced freelancers will offer to teach what they have learned over the course of their careers. This will also mean that they are likely to release a merchandise line where you can buy items that you like, much like traditional content creators on video sharing platforms like YouTube.
And then there’s the subject of NFTs, which in hindsight seems like the perfect opportunity for freelancers who are more creatively-inclined to try their hands on creating. Not only are NFTs all the rage these days, but since there’s quite a high chance that NFTs may be the right platform for investments in the future, freelancers may want to try and see if they can make NFTs a part of their offerings since there is such high demand.
These are some of our thoughts for the future of freelancing in 2022. What about you? What do you think 2022 will bring for freelancers?
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