Number of freelancers in Poland is approx. 303,000, an increase of 11.4% during the year

Freelancing is becoming more and more popular among Poles every year - the number of freelancers increased by 11.4% during the year to over 303,000 according to the report "Freelancing in Poland" prepared by Useme.

"The popularization of remote work and the hybrid system in the last two years, and thus the more frequent use of digital tools for communication and teamwork, have significantly influenced the development of freelancing. It is especially popular among generation Y, i.e. millennials. In Poland, it is already there. more than 303,000 freelancers, an increase of 11.4% compared to last year.This is more than we forecasted and next year we expect at least the same high growth. financial independence," said CEO Useme Przemysław Głoś.

Freelancers in Poland are mainly millennials. Almost half (47.9%) of people who perform this type of work are between 26 and 35 years of age. The older (36-45 years old) and younger (18-25 years old) groups account for 22.9% and 18.2% of respondents, respectively, according to the report.

Another year in a row, the Useme survey showed that the largest number of freelancers deal with copywriting and social media - 26.9%. Graphic designers are also represented in large numbers - 17.6% deal with this field, and then web developers designing and implementing websites and stores online - they account for 10.2% of respondents. In turn, services in the field of photography, video and animation are provided by 9.7% of freelancers. Slightly fewer, i.e. 8.2% of freelancers indicate IT and programming as their main field of activity, ahead of translation services - 6.8%, virtual assistant - 3.5% or SEO and SEM services, which are provided by 3.3% of respondents.

73.6% of the respondents indicated constant cooperation and recommendations as the source of their orders. In search of a job, freelancers willingly use Polish advertising portals - 33.7% and social media - 34.6%. Few of them decide to pay advertising - 6.2%. The respondents indicate that customers often report to them themselves, encouraged by a portfolio, website or advertisements on free service portals - 39.8%, the report indicated.

The services of freelancers are mainly used by micro-entrepreneurs, i.e. sole proprietorships and companies with up to 10 employees - 42.6%, and small and medium-sized enterprises - 35.8%. A significant group of clients that cooperate with freelancers are foreign companies - 39% of respondents indicated that they cooperate with clients from abroad, while the most difficult thing is to obtain orders from large corporations. Contracts with larger companies were concluded by only 8.2% of respondents.

This year's Useme survey shows that Polish specialists have no problem combining a freelance career with professional plans. Every fourth respondent lives only on orders carried out for individual clients, not combining them with a full-time job, and for 18.2% freelancing is the main source of income, supplemented by full-time work. On the other hand, for more than half (56.6%), freelancing is an additional source of income combined with permanent employment.

"This year, we have observed one significant change, which is undoubtedly related to the current economic situation. Compared to 2021, the number of specialists who have permanent jobs but are looking for additional jobs to earn some extra money has increased. research - 28% of freelancers say that due to inflation, freelancing has become a more attractive form of employment for them, constituting an additional source of income," added Głoś.

Over the last year, every tenth respondent voluntarily quit their full-time job in favor of freelancing, and the most numerous group (61%) were people aged 26-35.

The amount of earnings among freelancers largely depends on how they treat freelancing. Among the respondents earning between PLN 1,000 and PLN 2,000 net, the majority of those for whom orders are an additional source of income. On the other hand, people earning between PLN 3,000 and PLN 5,000 net and over PLN 5,000 most often treat freelancing as the main or the only source of earning money.

The report "Freelancing in Poland 2022" was prepared by Useme.com on the basis of a study that was carried out using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method - a standardized questionnaire distributed and completed electronically in May 2022, on a sample of 1,132 Polish freelancers.

Source: Useme and ISBnews