The number of people working from home has surged in
recent years. The economic downturn, coupled with changes in work
patterns, means that freelancers have become the fastest growing group
in the UK labour market. There are now 4.2m home workers - a rise of
30pc from 1998, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Elance-oDesk, a jobs website which businesses use to hire freelancers
across the world, says that 2.7m jobs are posted each year on its
platform. It has identifed the top 10 most lucrative freelance
occupations in the UK, by hourly rate.
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Voice talent
Voiceover artists are most commonly used for how-to videos, help guides
and adverts. While some travel to a main studio to record scripts, many
work from a home studio and send files electronically. |
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Infographic design
The skill of presenting complex information in a sharable way is highly
sought after, says Elance. |
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Finance writing
Financial writers compile analysis or market commentary for
publications. They can also write blog posts for companies, write up
annual reports and even pen books. |
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Contract drafting
Contract drafters incorporate a business deal into a contract. This
skill is highly paid as it requires a detailed knowledge of the industry
to make sure the deal is legally sound. |
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Recruiting
Many firms pass the complex task of hiring new staff over to
freelancers. They will take over the process of attracting, selecting
and appointing suitable candidates for vacant posts.
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Financial forecasting
Businesses are increasingly employing freelancers to predict a company’s
financial turnover within a given time period, usually one year. The
work involves looking over a firm's internal accounting and sales data,
together with analysing external market and economic trends.
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Electronic engineers
These programmers plan the layout of the latest software and operating
systems on your phones, tablets and laptops.
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Spanish-English translation
Translation is one of the fastest-growing skills required from
businesses. |
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CV writing
With the UK employment market on the up, job seekers have been
outsourcing the job of sprucing up their CV to freelancers.
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