The majority of freelancers globally expect their business to grow in the future — especially in Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Mexico and Argentina — according to results from PayPal’s Global Freelancer Insights Report, which examined the needs of freelancers in 22 markets. The report found freelancers have similar preferences and challenges worldwide, although each region’s freelancer market varied in trends across the countries surveyed.

In the US report, freelancers reported business has mostly been stable or growing over the last year: Two-thirds anticipate future growth, with 30% expecting to do “a lot more work.”

Half of US freelancers, particularly amongst those with a domestic focus and more freelancing experience, receive work through word of mouth. However, online job boards play a bigger role for those with less than two years of freelancing experience.

The report also found more than half of US freelancers currently use a freelancer platform, and 60% of those said they will use them more in the future. Freelancers with more international than domestic clients, and those with fewer years freelancing experience, are more likely to be using a freelancer platform. Nevertheless, 54% said the main barrier to using a freelancer platform is that they “don’t know enough about them.”

Additional US freelancer trends and opportunities include:

• Ninety-seven percent of US freelancers surveyed have domestic clients, but only 58% have international clients.
• Two-thirds, or 69%, of US freelancers are female.
• 5% of US freelancers make more than $100,000 per year.
• 51% work only on their own.
• 50% said being their own boss is an appeal of being a freelancer.
• 46% said irregular income was a great concern.

The US portion of the report was based on an online survey that included 1,000 US freelancers, and those about to become freelancers. It was conducted in October 2017 and is one of 22 reports reflecting markets around the world. The US portion of the report is available online.