MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - October 12, 2010) - Elance, the leading platform for flexible employment, released its quarterly Online Employment Report today, revealing that hiring in the cloud continues to result in increased earnings for online professionals. Online workers earned a record $24.5 million in the third quarter of 2010 on Elance, representing a 42% year-over-year increase. While the latest statistics from the Department of Labor show traditional onsite hiring remained tepid in Q3, job postings on Elance were up 11% in the third quarter of 2010. In contrast to the cautious optimism of the still recovering economy at large, opportunities are abundant for online talent, particularly for PHP Programmers, HTML5 and Mobile Developers and Geolocation Experts.
"Small businesses are adopting hybrid work models where onsite teams are augmented by flexible online teams with hot skills such as HTML5 and mobile geolocation services leveraging Google Maps," said Ellen Pack, vice president of marketing at Elance. "Online workers are finding financial rewards and more purpose in their work as they create their own economic recovery by serving businesses in need of their expertise."
The Elance Online Employment Report reveals that the job categories experiencing the fastest growth online are IT, Creative Services and Marketing. While IT continues to maintain its position as the largest category on Elance, Marketing has experienced the fastest growth with a 61% year-over-year increase. The report provides an in-depth look at the skills most in demand and the hottest spots within the U.S. and across the globe for online talent. To review the full Elance Online Employment Report, please click here.
Putting Small Businesses on the Mobile Map
The IT category continues to be the top performing job category with a 40% increase in provider earnings year-over-year. PHP Programmers maintain their position as top earners on Elance in 2010. However, the current report indicates businesses are racing to overhaul their web sites and develop mobile strategies, hiring iPhone, iPad and Android Programmers online to make their businesses accessible on mobile devices.
- Proving geolocation has become an increasingly important marketing tool for small businesses, Google Maps checked into the top 100 overall skill list for the first time in Q3 2010, with Google Maps Programmers jumping 185 spots into the top 100 with a significant increase in jobs posted quarter-over-quarter.
- There is no slowdown in the demand for mobile apps. iPhone Programmers moved up five positions into the top 20 while BlackBerry Programmers jumped 11 (#89). Android Programmers saw a 61% increase in demand.
- Businesses are also overhauling web sites to improve user experience and incorporate new elements, which is fueling demand for jQuery Programmers, the popular Open Source Javascript library. jQuery increased 125% and jumped 41 spots into the top 50 skills.
- In the battle between HTML5 (#70) and Flash (#10), HTML5 has made a strong run against its older competitor, debuting at #70 on the top 100 skill list. Flash continues to maintain a strong standing in the top 10 skills list (although dropping one position), but the growth of HTML5 may signal a trend to growing adoption of the newer technology.
- Businesses are looking for help leveraging Google to market their businesses with Google AdWords (#61), Google Webmaster Optimizer (#76) and Google Analytics (#97) all in the top 100 skills in demand.
Content Creation is Still King
While the latest tech skills are the biggest movers on the charts, content development skills are steadily rising in demand. Businesses hire professionals to help them communicate their message through article writing, graphic design, animation and even 3-D.
- Article and Content Writing (#2 and #6) are edging up this quarter, each moving up one spot in the top 10 skills.
- Graphic Design (#3) also edged up this quarter gaining one position and holding its own as a top 5 skill in demand, while animation moved up five spots to #39.
- WordPress (#5), the popular blog publishing platform, moved up one spot and is now in the top 5 skills in demand.
- No goggles required for this data, but 3-D technology showed a big increase. With more 3-D technology making its way to movies and television the uptick in demand may signal that businesses are seeking to incorporate the technology in smaller ways.
Geographic Trends
The Great Recession was a wake up call to many to diversify beyond their local market. Online workers are able to tap into opportunities beyond their local markets and provide services to a global client base.
- Bright Lights, Big City -- San Francisco bumped Dallas and Los Angeles as the 2nd highest earning city in America.
- We Write the songs -- The U.S. continues to dominate when it comes to Creative Service providers, but Canada and the United Kingdom made a statement by moving past Argentina and Pakistan.
About Elance
Elance, the world's leading platform for flexible employment, helps businesses hire and manage online instead of onsite.
For businesses looking to staff-up a team on an hourly or project basis, Elance offers instant access to qualified professionals who work online. Elance provides the tools to hire, view work as it progresses and pay for results. Elance is faster and more cost-effective than job boards, staffing firms and traditional outsourcing.
For skilled professionals who want to work online, Elance offers access to qualified clients, a virtual workplace and guaranteed pay for great work. Elancers have already delivered on projects worth more than $308 million.
The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information, visit Elance at www.elance.com.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Carolyn Adams
Borders+Gratehouse
Phone: (415) 963-4174 ext. 4
Email: carolyn(at)bordersgratehouse.com