More than half of small businesses, 58%, utilize agile workforces due to “greater interest among workers for flexible work arrangements,” according to research released today by online staffing provider Upwork. The data comes from a specific cut of results from small-business respondents to Upwork’s report, “Future Workforce Report: How Companies are Embracing Remote Teams to Get Work Done.”

In the research, the term “agile” refers to teams comprised of flexible workers – such as freelancers, agency and temp workers.

Upwork also found 53% of small businesses today utilize flexible talent — including freelancers, agency and temp workers — up 16 points from a similar report in 2017. And small businesses anticipate work done by flexible talent will increase by 20% in the next 10 years.

Nearly two-thirds of small businesses, 64%, agreed that skills have become more specialized compared with three years ago. Additionally, twice as many small businesses say hiring was harder in 2017 than easier, with 63% of small businesses citing “access to skills” as their top hiring challenge.

The study is based on an online survey conducted by independent research firm Inavero. The survey included 1,005 workforce hiring decision makers, including more than 200 small-business managers, and was conducted from Nov. 8 to Nov. 15, 2017.