We know the number of freelancers is on the rise, but more than half (55%) of hiring managers agree that remote work among full-time permanent employees is becoming more common, too.
Many of the 1,000 hiring managers surveyed said that they expect up to 38% of their full-time staff will be working remotely in the next decade, according to Upwork’s Future Workforce Report.
The so-called talent shortage is affecting the way the majority of hiring managers are viewing their permanent employees by adopting a more flexible workforce. More hiring managers report that having the right skills is more important than being able to work from the same location as the rest of the team. More than half (59%) of hiring managers today are using freelance and contract workers, up 24% from 2017, and predict that number will increase by 168% in the next decade.
Currently, 63% of employers have remote workers, yet a majority lack remote work policies.