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Survey: 85% say online talent is competitive advantage

May 23, 2013

Eighty-five percent of companies believe hiring freelance talent online gives them a competitive advantage, and 74 percent of companies reported they will hire more freelancers in 2013, according to the first Annual Impact Report released today by online staffing provider Elance.

“Work has profound positive impacts beyond the traditional economic dimensions,” said Elance CEO Fabio Rosati.

The average hiring time on Elance is 3.3 days versus 23 days for traditional hiring, according to the report. There has also been a 153 percent increase in freelancers online with skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics over the past year, it found.

The report also weighed the impact of online work on freelancers. Some of the findings include:

  • The average freelancer receives an average of 5.8 new job opportunities per month.
  • Sixty-nine percent are happier when freelancing versus working at a traditional onsite job. The average freelancer estimates that they have 28 more personal days than they did when working in a corporate environment. As a result, 71 percent claim they are more productive.
  • Sixty-seven percent of freelance professionals expect their income to increase in 2013. 

Elance conducted the study with research firm Imperative LLC. The data in the report is based on three in-depth studies with a sample size of 1,300 individuals.