Freelancers earnings boom in 2022, breaks record study says

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Out of the pandemic came the rise of freelance work, side hustles, and new business owners bringing in an estimated record of $286 billion dollars in revenue during 2022, according to the 6th annual Freelance Economic Impact Report. We spoke with Laura Podesta, Public Relations Manager of the world’s largest freelance marketplace, Fiverr, on the growing freelance market and why independent workers are feeling a sense of freedom.

Podesta says, “The freelance lifestyle is one that is lucrative and it’s fun and it allows people to have flexibility in their lifestyle, not tied to a desk and the reasons why we compile this report every year is to show how massive this population is and this population that’s not going away.”

Independent workers see themselves as fearless freelancers choosing to be CEOs of their own destiny rather than paid employees, according to a new study by Fiverr. Freelancers now make up 30% of the workforce and that number is growing. They see themselves as walking billboards willing to fly solo and because of that, they are happier even without the safety net of a benefits package to fall back on. Podesta adds, “They are not tied to a desk, they are not tied to a 9 to 5, they are able to say yes or no to projects depending on if they like or maybe they don’t want to do, so many people are no longer tied to one employer they are freelancing.”

Sean Covel, a Rapid City writer, and producer says, “Being a freelance or independent contractor is amazing because we can control our schedule and where we are working from which is great but it is a balanced life because there isn’t a guarantee and by comparison. I think it is super satisfying.”

Independent Contractor Sean Coyne, producer, and director from Dakota Media states it’s all about nurturing relationships, “Having the confidence to build a relationship and overcome the fear of the next paycheck and I’ve just found the right balance with that for the next 30 years.”

66 million Americans make their living as independent contractors and the trend is expected to grow as workers and companies continue to see the value in flexibility on both sides. The Fiverr report which focused on digital freelance positions, found a big perk is more freedom.

Not everyone is cut out to be an independent contractor but for some like our solopreneurs the risk has been worth it, “Just work the grind and put in more effort than an employee would to earn that business the next time to build that relationship so it was beyond just a video project it was someone I could go to lunch or dinner with and have fun that’s been one of the perks of being a freelancer,” Coyne says. Covel adds, “The credit goes to my family when I literally asked my parents. Should I make independent films? My mom said you didn’t move to California to work for people that work for movies, you went to California to make movies so take a shot.”

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