Marko Zitko, Communications Manager at Freelancer.com
Global freelancing marketplace Freelancer.com recently released its Fast 50 Q2 2023 report, a quarterly dataset ranking the fastest-growing and falling jobs on the platform. According to this report, the top five fastest-growing jobs on the platform for the quarter were creative writing (58%), user interface design (52%), Twitter marketing (41%), photography (40%), and writing (Microsoft Word) (38%).
What is surging the demand for these jobs? Can AI replace creative jobs in the future? And can AI and human freelancers co-exist?
Marko Zitko, Communications Manager at Freelancer.com, answers these questions in this interview.
Excerpts:
With creative writing and user interface design ranking as the top two fastest-growing jobs on Freelancer.com, what do you think is driving this surge in demand for these skills in the freelance market?
We always see ebbs and flows when it comes to demand for freelance skills, which tend to reflect trends in the world of work. For creative writing, the simple answer is that generative AI can’t replace creative work at this stage. You will understand these limitations if you try to get generative AI to produce high-quality, creative work. This is why we believe there is a sudden surge in these types of jobs on the platform.
The demand surge for user interface design links to the trends we saw in the previous quarter. In the Freelancer.com Fast 50 Q1 2023 report, we saw an increase in projects relating to forming new businesses and ventures. We saw a rise in design, mainly logo design and corporate identity design, and website and e-commerce jobs surge.
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It’s likely that these entrepreneurs who started these businesses at the beginning of the year are now continually working on and refining their websites and businesses. This is consistent with the other trends we’ve seen in Q2, such as an increase in marketing and sales jobs as well.
According to the Fast 50 Q1 2023 report, Twitter marketing significantly increased job postings. How do you see social media marketing evolving, and what role does freelancing play in meeting this demand?
Social media marketing is significant in marketing any business, particularly with startups. It’s one of the more cost-effective marketing methods compared to traditional marketing, such as taking out a billboard ad, a commercial slot, or organising a promotional event.
The social media marketing space continues to evolve as new platforms spawn, new engagement trends emerge on existing platforms and user behaviour changes. Employing on-demand freelancers is one of the best ways to keep up with the ever-changing nature of social media marketing, as freelancers keep up with existing trends and continually upskill in new tools.
Photography also experienced substantial growth on the platform. How is the rise of freelance photography and videography gigs shaping the creative industry, and what opportunities do you foresee in this domain?
We saw a significant increase in photography and videography job postings on the platform.
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Two factors influence the rise: 1) employers and businesses are becoming increasingly interested in more photography and videography content, and 2) Freelancer.com has made it easy for employers to hire local freelancers to support them with these projects.
The opportunity here is for local freelancers skilled in photos and videos, as more jobs and projects are available.
The report mentioned growth in business marketing investment. Can you elaborate on how businesses leverage freelancers to bolster their marketing efforts and stay competitive in their respective markets?
Businesses leverage freelancers to bolster their marketing efforts and stay competitive by focusing heavily on growth and strategy. Freelancers have become an increasingly popular strategy for companies looking to bolster their marketing efforts and maintain a competitive edge. Leveraging freelancers offers several advantages, particularly when it comes to focusing heavily on growth and strategy.
As the world debates the potential impact of AI on job markets, how does Freelancer.com view the coexistence of AI and human freelancers? How do you envision AI and human freelancers working together in the coming years?
AI will enhance freelancers’ overall capabilities and productivity, leading to more efficient workflows, higher-quality outputs, and increased opportunities in specialised areas. Sophisticated generative AI tools will elevate freelancers and move them up the stack, changing the nature of roles from writers and designers to editors and project managers.
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The second image used in this pic is AI-generated.
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