Companies of all sizes will hire twice as many online workers in 2013, according to the 2013 online work predictions forecast released today by online staffing provider Elance.

“The staffing industry is ripe for disruption and the fundamental drivers of online work’s growth — instant access to high quality talent, speed of hiring and cost savings – align with business needs of all sizes.” said Fabio Rosati, CEO of Elance. “When you pair the category’s fundamentals with recent trends on Elance, it’s clear that online work is primed for explosive growth in 2013.”

Elance’s forecast predictions for online work in 2013:

• Transformation of the services economy: Service hiring will double online in 2013.
• Students emerge as solopreneurs: One in four university students will work online in 2013.
• Healthcare reform opens door for career flexibility: The number of full-time employees that quit corporate jobs to work online will triple in 2013.
• Unemployment will be overstated by 5 percent in 2013. Unemployed and underemployed will go online to earn extra money, and these jobs aren’t reported in the employment figures.
• Online work: Companies of all sizes will hire twice as many online workers in 2013.