By Elance
A new report released by Elance on November 14, shows that U.S. professionals in economically hard-hit areas like Carson City with 11.6 percent unemployment are tapping online resources like Elance to escape their local economies and get back to work.
The report also reveals dramatic growth in online work overall this year, with earning s and job posts up a combined 76 percent over Q3 last year, driven by an emerging demand for gaming, security and sales/marketing talent online. Professionals earned nearly $50 million in Q3 2012 alone on the Elance platform, and earnings in Carson City, specifically, grew by 748%. Skilled professionals are taking hold of their career paths and finding lucrative, flexible work opportunities online — professionals like Minden resident Cindy White who quit her mid-level management job for greener pastures. After 25 years of constant office politics and cubicle-confined stress, Cindy longed for the flexibility and validation of working from her own country home in Minden, NV. With a dream in mind and how-to-be an independent writer book in hand, Cindy found Elance, the global online workplace for self-starters.
She now works when and with whom she wants; tapping into the global market for fun and fulfilling projects. Her clients come from all over the world, ranging from jewelry makers to marketing firms. Unfazed by the struggling local economy blessed with freelance freedom, Cindy’s view from her home office window truly is beautiful.
Key notable trends cited in the report include:
• Marketers Make a Splash – Companies today have more ways than ever to connect and engage with potential customers, and that increased connectivity around the world is fueling demand for marketing services. Job posts for sales & marketing talent increased by 40 percent year over year. Demand for skills such as social media marketing (+157%), lead generation (+136%) and public relations (+92%) were all up significantly in 2012, rivaling IT, the most notable front runner skill category.
• Security Strikes a Nerve – As businesses both small and large continue to adopt the cloud for a competitive advantage in productivity and collaboration, security is increasingly becoming a must-have for entrepreneurs seeking peace of mind. Demand for security-centric skills such as security engineer (+448%), security analyst (+326%) and web security manager (+87%) skyrocketed this year and show no signs of slowing down.
• Business Gets Animated – With the gamification of the enterprise topping the trend list this year, businesses around the world are taking note of this new and innovative engagement strategy—and they’re turning to online resources to find the best talent. Demand for skills such as cover design (+303%), game development (+88%) and game programming (+76%) hit unprecedented growth in 2012, as businesses seek to convert users to players and make commerce fun again.
