There has never been a more perfect time to become a freelancer.
With so much of the workforce switching to the gig economy, it might be time for you to take a look at your own career and see if serial side hustling is the way to go.
Today, we are going to look at 38 freelancer statistics that you need to know for 2021 that might surprise you.The freelancer population grew from 17% of full-time freelancers up to 27% from 2014-2019.Making up 36% of the global workforce in 2020, freelancers are becoming more of a demand in many niches.In 2020, the second most common insurance policies sold were from freelance and consultant insurance workers.Over 90% of freelancers are optimistic about their future in freelancing.From 2019 to 2020, there was an 8% increase in freelancers, which totaled about a 2 million freelancer increase.With the current pandemic, freelance job postings increased by a little over 40% during Q2 of 2020.
Freelance and consultant policies that were purchased over the last year grew by 26%At the beginning of 2020, freelance policied dropped heavily up until the height of the pandemic.
The freelance community bounced back dramatically in the later months with policies being purchased through freelance and consultant insurance workers doubled each month.While Gen Z has seen a tougher job market, over 50% of 18-22-year-olds have claimed to freelance in the past year.A little over 40% of millennials have reported having freelanced over the last year.Due to COVID-19, 36% of Gen Z freelancers started after the onset of the pandemic.Over the past year, over 59 million Americans have participated in some type of freelance work.When it comes to 39-54-year-olds (Gen X) 30% of them are freelancers.When it comes to Boomers (55+ years old) 26% have or currently freelance.When it comes down to gender, 60% of freelancers are men while 40% are women.Freelancers who perform skilled services earn on average $28/hour, which is more than 70% of workers in the US economy.
When it comes to wages, over 30% of freelancers are making $75,000 or more.For freelancer copywriters, the national average salary is $81,748An average workweek consists of 43 hours for most freelancers.With COVID-19, 23% of freelancers have lowered their hourly rate.Over the past 6 months, 58% of freelancers worked with more than 5 clientsIn the total arts and design workforce, freelancers had made up around 75% in 2019.When it came to freelancer policies sold, 50% were sold to photographers in 2020.Over 60% off all freelancers sell 2-3 different skill sets.
