Opportunities for contractors increased by 120% this year!

In the last twelve months, the site has seen a 120% increase [650,000 additional jobs] in the number of temporary postings and it expects the number to double again in 2012.

Fabio Rosati, the chief executive of Elance, said that eight out of ten small firms have indicated they intend to source up to 50% of their new hires from online freelance websites next year.

He pointed out that traditional employment is undergoing a structural change as more employers make online workers part of their core business strategy. Companies throughout the world are changing the way they work now that they can instantly hire qualified contractors with in-demand skills.

The UK ranks fifth out of 100 nations on the Elance website after the average freelancer's pay increased by 85%. In Spain, freelancer pay increased by 185% to put them in the top spot, followed by Greece where freelance income rose by 142%.

People with software skills were in the highest demand, whilst positions for graphic designers rose by 176%, internet marketers by 132% and content writers by 72%. People with skills in developing software for Facebook saw demand for their skills increase by 66%.

Elance has now predicted that digital marketers and user experience designers will rank in the top 10 hot freelance careers next year.

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