Freelancers see work rise in June

Bengaluru: Freelancing business is showing signs of a revival after the government eased the lockdown, according to a study by an invoice and payment services provider for freelancers. Around 64% of the 14,000 freelancers who responded to the study by Bengaluru-based Refrens said they had more work now compared with the previous two months. About 63% of invoices raised in March before the country went into lockdown are now fully paid, compared with 16% in April and 27% in May, it said in a report, titled 'Freelancers Getting Back To Work'.

This is a change from the earlier trend that the company reported in April, wherein domestic payments were delayed to 24 days from an average 19 days earlier, while international payments were taking double the time than usual.

The roles that are seeing greater demand include designers and writers. About 76% designers and 80% content writers said they had more work in June compared with April or May. Companies are increasingly opting to work with freelancers as the arrangement reduces costs, making it a preferable choice in these uncertain times. ET had earlier reported that platforms like Instamojo and Razorpay had seen 20-25% growth in payments from micro-entrepreneurs including freelancers and individual-run businesses since April.


Gig platform Flexing It saw a 75% spike in the number of freelance positions published in April, while HR technology firm PeopleStrong estimates that 25-30% of workforce in sectors such as Internet business companies, information technology, IT-enabled services, startups, hospitality, quick-service restaurants, retail and logistics would get converted to freelance roles over a period of time, ET had earlier reported.