Demand for Online Writing and Content Creation Jobs Intensifies

Latest data reveals businesses are still in desperate need of content creation, videography and marketing skills in Q3 2023, despite the advance of the AI avalanche. The Fast 50 Q3 2023 report, a quarterly dataset ranking the fastest growing and falling jobs on the platform, analyzed over 277,000 jobs posted by employers to Freelancer.com between July and September 2023. According to the data, the fastest growing freelance jobs by percentage growth in Q3 2023 were mostly writing, content creation and marketing related.

As AI continues to advance, the need for human creativity remains strong. Employers are once again seeking freelancers to support with Creative Writing and Content Writing projects, which are up 22.4% and 19.4% respectively.

A surge in demand for writing skills across the platform means there were more than 10,000 additional writing projects available in Q3 2023, which were already a trending skill evident in the previous quarter.

The Q3 2023 data also indicates a consistent trend in businesses seeking freelance marketing support, with Search Engine Marketing (up 24.1%), Videography (up 17.4%) and Telemarketing (up 16.5%) seeing notable growth across the quarter. This aligns with the previous quarter's emphasis on business marketing activities.

“Our Freelancer Fast 50 Report is a forward leading indicator of the skills and expertise businesses need today. Artificial Intelligence is powering a boom in content creation, particularly focusing on writing, marketing and video production skills” said Matt Barrie, Chief Executive at Freelancer. “Generative AI is superskilling freelancers and their ability to produce extremely high quality content and faster than ever before. Tools like ChatGPT and Bard have changed the game when it comes to producing and refining written content, while advances in video AI such as Runway Gen-2, HeyGen and Pika Labs means that video production and editing can be done with a click of a button.”

Growth in skills like User Interface / IA (up 17.4% from 3,071 to 3,607) and UX / User Experience (up 13.9% from 1,193 to 1,359) highlight the importance of user-centric design in today's digital landscape.

Data Mining (up 14.9% from 2,374 to 2,728) and Data Processing (up 10% from 11,013 to 12,115) were also amongst the top growing jobs. These skills are often associated with Sales functions and Lead Generation, which are also growing in the quarter, up 13.3% and 11.4% respectively. By leveraging freelancers to research leads, businesses can operate more efficiently and focus more on relationship building in the sales process.

Design, Marketing and Video Creation Jobs Lead Year-on-Year Growth

Several skills have surged in demand when comparing Q3 2022 and Q3 2023. Jobs for User Interface (UI) Design have doubled, growing by 101.9% to 3,607 from 1,786 in the same period last year. Search Engine Marketing jobs grew 80.4% (from 1,597 to 2,881) and Videography jumped by 77.1% (from 2,716 to 4,809).

Fastest Falling Jobs of Q3 2023

The recent data highlights a shift in the demand for specific technical skills, which saw a significant increase last year as many tech companies laid off technical staff. There's a noticeable decline in jobs for certain established programming languages and frameworks.

For instance, Matlab and Mathematica saw a 25.1% decrease (from 1,349 to 1,011 jobs). Similarly, projects requiring skills in AngularJS jobs dropped by 23.5% (from 1,722 to 1,318), while those requiring Django experts experienced a decline of 23.4% (from 1,216 to 932). C Programming, C++ Programming, and Python, which were all in-demand skills in Q3 2022, also all decreased on the platform in Q3 2023.

While algorithms remain integral to many processes, there's been a reduction in specialized roles in this domain. This trend is evident in the decrease in demand for Algorithm skills, which saw a decrease of 22.5% (from 1,438 to 1,114 jobs). This might be a consequence of the advent of more intuitive tools and platforms that simplify algorithmic tasks.

Writing Jobs Show No Sign Of Slowing Down

The introduction of highly sophisticated and powerful generative AI tools have led many experts and commentators to predict that skills such as writing will be replaced by AI. However, the latest Fast 50 Q3 data demonstrates that writing jobs are here to stay, as content writing, creative writing, copy typing and ghostwriting jobs increase by more than 20% over the last quarter.

These skills continue to flourish after reporting growth in the previous quarter on Freelancer.com, with Creative Writing ranked as the fastest growing skills in Q2 2023 (up 58%, from 1,868 to 2,961).

An Increase in writing skills for two quarters in a row suggest that businesses are placing more emphasis on content creation by hiring freelancers to write articles and produce creative content.

Copy Typing, the fastest growing skill for Q3’23 (up 28.7% from 6,381 to 8,213) encompasses all types of jobs from data entry to helping write e-books to transcription and typist projects. While technical projects do require degrees and past experience, most copy typing jobs can be performed by freelancers with no prior knowledge, making it a lucrative side hustle for freelancers globally.

AI’s Impact on Whitecollar Jobs

While writing jobs continue to flourish over the past 6 months, there is a need to understand how generative AI will impact jobs and various freelancing skills. In a longform essay titled ‘AI know what you did last summer’ , Freelancer.com CEO Matt Barrie discusses the bleeding edge of AI technology and how he predicts these will go on the shape white-collar jobs. Barrie suggests that to be competitive in a world of AI, workers will need to adapt or move up the stack: “Those in white collar jobs will need to move ‘up the stack’. Illustrators become cinematographers. Writers become editors. Software developers become product managers. Grad students now run a research group.”

Barrie also highlights that there is a major opportunity for freelancers, arguing that AI-powered freelancers will ultimately be the winners as they have the ability to compete against middle class workforces all around the world.

AI’s impact on work productivity is evident in a recent AI study conducted by Freelancer.com which found that in a survey of over 1,300 US workers, a majority of those US workers (75%) are using generative AI tools in their work. One in three (33%) workers are using AI tools all the time in their work, while one quarter of US workers (25%) are using these tools sometimes and one sixth (16%) admit to never using AI at work.

Marketing & Video Production Sustain Growth, Growing Every Quarter in 2023

Marketing and Video Production skills are one of the most in-demand skill categories on the platform, with data showing they’ve now grown every quarter since the beginning of the year. Search Engine Marketing (up 24.1%, from 2,321 to 2,881) ranked as the third fastest growing skill on the platform. Telemarketing (up 16.5%, from 1,054 to 1,228) has grown in Q3 as businesses turn towards more traditional marketing tactics. Sustained growth in different types of marketing skills means there are many opportunities for skilled freelancers to find unique projects on the platform.

As for video production, not only is the skill up quarter-on-quarter, but both Video Production and Videography have almost doubled when compared to the same time last year, up 58.1% and 77.1% respectively.

The surge in freelancer video production jobs can be attributed to the booming demand for online content, especially on platforms like YouTube (up 10.3%, from 1,174 to 1,295 jobs in Q3) and TikTok. As content is a staple in many marketing strategies, businesses are turning to freelancers to help them produce content, boosting this as a potential category for workers.

Businesses Delegating Sales Functions to Freelancers

As found in the Freelancer.com World’s Most Boring Job research, businesses often delegate research heavy tasks to on-demand freelancers. In turn, this allows businesses the ability to operate more efficiently and focus on more impact-based tasks.

A unique trend uncovered in the Fast 50 Q3 2023 shows that businesses are leaning on freelancers to help with the research portion of the sales function. Sales and Lead Generation ranked as some of the fastest growing jobs in the quarter, up 13.3% and 11.4% respectively. Interestingly, Sales and Lead Generation both featured in the top 25 fastest growing jobs in Q2 2023.

Growth in sales and lead generation is an example of how businesses are employing freelancers to help them streamline the sales process. https://www.freelancer.com/

Goodnotes Improving How People Create, Learn, Work, and Take Notes

Goodnotes, the beloved digital paper app for note-taking and 2022 iPad App of the Year, unveils Goodnotes 6 today exclusively on Apple's platforms.

By pushing the boundaries of handwriting with new AI-backed features such as Spellcheck and AI Math Assistance, Goodnotes 6 will transform how people interact with information personally and professionally.

Goodnotes is on a mission to remove barriers for ideas and knowledge. Users can have all of their note-taking needs fulfilled inside a single app, whether it's sharing, planning, getting unstuck, inspiring creativity, or learning from other people's insights and materials.

Goodnotes 6 elevates the digital paper experience with its newest features:

AI-powered Spellcheck that instantly corrects handwritten typos in a user's own handwriting

Interactive exam prep materials for SAT and other standardized tests, with built-in hints and AI Math Assistance to identify errors

A new in-app marketplace where users can download new templates, stickers, and digital stationery directly in app

Customizable folders and dynamic templates that allow user to customize the size and color of the digital paper in their notebooks

New pen gestures like Scribble to Erase and Circle to Lasso

"Our team has been enormously excited to reimagine the way people interact with information and bring true innovation to the digital note-taking experience," said Steven Chan, Founder and CEO of Goodnotes. "We're thrilled to finally put Goodnotes 6 in the hands of our users, who we hope will feel the magic of a smarter and more delightful Goodnotes with our new user interface and our industry-first AI handwriting features."

Goodnotes unveils its rebrand alongside the launch of Goodnotes 6, featuring a refreshed brand strategy, visual identity, and updated logo to present the joy and journey of digital note-taking. Goodnotes partnered with Motto, a strategic branding company, for the rebrand.

Goodnotes 6 is free to download on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, and free to use for up to 3 notebooks. The full suite of features can be unlocked with unlimited notebooks for $9.99 USD per year or $29.99 USD as a one-time purchase (local pricing applies).

Existing paid GoodNotes 5 users can continue using GoodNotes 5, or upgrade to Goodnotes 6 at a discount. Goodnotes 6 will continue to be free for educational institutions through Apple School Manager.

On the heels of this Goodnotes 6 release, Goodnotes will continue to invest in and create AI note-taking features that will enhance note-taking itself and allow users to manipulate handwritten and typed information in new ways.

Goodnotes is the leading AI digital paper used by millions of users worldwide. Launched in 2011, Goodnotes started as an improvement to physical paper notes — introducing the ability to take handwritten digital notes, search handwritten text, and organize everything into a digital library. Today, Goodnotes is pioneering generative AI for digital handwriting in the productivity space. Goodnotes was most recently named Apple's 2022 iPad App of the Year.

A Guide for Optimizing Your Brain

Leading authority on human performance and workplace well-being, Deb Smolensky, shares her groundbreaking guide to upgrading the human brain in Brain On!: Mental Fitness Strategies for Sharpening Focus, Boosting Energy, and Winning the Workday. The book is on sale now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Amplify Publishing, and more.

According to Smolensky, the single most important technology ever known is inside your head, all you have to do is train it…and she's ready to teach us how.

In Brain On!, Smolensky serves as your coach to retrain your brain through mental fitness strategies that will help you navigate the ever-changing and uncertain world in which we work. As an award-winning, global well-being and engagement practice leader and advisor to numerous Fortune 500 companies, Smolensky knows that just as our muscles need a program to get stronger, our brains need exercises to be more creative, innovative, and healthy.

Leveraging decades of research and hands-on experience in the industry, Smolensky has provided a must-read for anyone looking to manage burnout, reduce stress, and live a life full of joy, engagement, and resilience.

The innovative "brain on" mentality coined by Smolensky rewires your mind to be more energized and alert, creating workforces and individuals that are mentally strong and built to last.

"We often underestimate the strength of the miraculous human brain," writes Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author, "This book dives deep into the prefrontal cortex and reintroduces us with vigor and joy to what is possible when we use our heads with intention."

Whether you are a proactive individual wanting to stay energized, efficient, and fulfilled, or an organizational leader looking to improve your team's culture and environment, this is your guide to training your brain to win the obstacle course that is the workplace.

Brain On!: Mental Fitness Strategies for Sharpening Focus, Boosting Energy, and Winning the Workday is available now via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amplify Publishing. More information can be found at www.debsmolensky.com.

NAI Global Remote and Hybrid Work Trends Survey

NAI Global has released survey results on the impact of remote and hybrid work trends from its international offices in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Easily one of the most unique aspects and consequences of the pandemic has been the work-from-home phenomenon (WFH), or as we eventually adopted, related phrases such as work-from-anywhere, digital nomad, or simply, remote and hybrid work. None of us working today, or in the history of the modern workforce, have been forced to operate office-oriented businesses and tasks from anywhere but the office - traveling salesmen, deal-making M&A professionals, auditors and others are obvious exceptions. By late summer of 2020 and the early stages of lockdowns, stories about the new working trend began appearing in all matters of media and they have not let up.

After a recent story ran in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that was principally focused on remote and hybrid work trends in Europe and Asia, and its impact on office markets across the world, NAI Global reached out to more than 1,000 of its brokerage, management and property consultant specialists and professionals throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Coincidentally, as the survey results were being compiled into narrative form, Bloomberg Intelligence released its own report on remote work's impact on European office markets.

According to the WSJ, more Americans embraced remote work and turned their backs on offices, with U.S. office occupancy rates ranging from 40% to 60% in America's largest cities. These figures, usually attributed to Kastle Systems, the card-swipe company, are good benchmarks for office occupancy rates in general, though since the company started publishing its data, we've advised that the metrics may not show the whole picture. They are believable, yes, but slightly flawed because most American office workers don't work in the 10 major markets which Kastle Systems tracks. Thus, in accordance with our internal polling of NAI Global offices in the lower 48 states (where there are approximately 225 NAI Global U.S. offices), we believe that cities in every quadrant of the U.S. have more people working from offices than not.

Looking abroad, the WSJ reported that office occupancy rates in Europe and the Middle East are running 70% to 90%, and even higher in Asia, where rates ranged from 80% to 110%, which means that in some cases and places, more people have been coming to the office lately than before the pandemic.

There are a myriad of reasons and explanations for these different data readings and WSJ pointed some of them out, including cultural differences, commute times, and living arrangements, among them. They are not unlike what we found in our survey of NAI Global professionals outside of the U.S. Here's a summary of a few responses received after our email query, with attribution to responders and their respective cities and countries.

EUROPE

"In Frankfurt, one of Europe's most important financial centers, there is an ongoing "war for talent" and as a result, employers are aware that they have to compete with each for that talent. As a result, more and more companies are asking themselves, 'how do I design my office to encourage and attract our people to return to the office?' It is such a central issue that "working from home" has become an important element for employees of all ages. Therefore, it is not surprising that employees are averaging 1.4 days per week at their home offices, and this is prevalent throughout Germany. According to official statistics, Germany is thus below the global average. However, the modern office itself remains an essential factor for corporate identity, that sense of "we" and, above all, communication among employees. Pre-Covid, everything was done to significantly improve communication within companies through new working environments; it is precisely this communication, which is so important, that is reduced to a minimum through "working from home."

Andreas Krone, CEO, NAI Director, NAI apollo, Frankfurt, Germany

"In Hungary, hybrid work arrangements continue to be enforced, with a majority of office workers being guaranteed an average minimum of two days per week to work from home. However, in the case of Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) and Shared Service Centers (SSCs), it is not uncommon for employees to have the opportunity to work from home for three days per week. The option to work remotely has become a crucial component of the employee compensation package, and employers who are less accommodating of this trend may face higher levels of employee turnover and difficulty in attracting new talent. As a result, office tenants have relinquished, on average, 20% of their previous office space."

Erika Loska, Head of Leasing Services, Partner, NAI CELand, Budapest, Hungary

NAI Global Takeaway: European business leaders appear to face similar challenges to their American counterparts - even though unemployment is higher in Europe, on average, than in the U.S., and mainly there is competition for the best employees. On the importance of collaboration, again the business culture in Europe favors high levels of inter-connectivity between employees. However, when it comes to business task work, whether it is inputting data, accounting and administrative process work, which can easily be done remotely, the scale tips toward greater remote work. That has been true in the U.S., with 'coders,' or the tech employees that spend much of their time in front of monitors, being the most vocal about their strong preference for remote working arrangements.

AFRICA

"In Luanda, the capital city of Angola, despite the difficult commuting, professionals have returned to their workplaces at a high rate. The intermittent internet connections outside of the city are effectively encouraging office-based professionals to return to their offices, where web connectivity tends to be stronger and more powerful."

Nuno Serrenho, Principal, NAI Altys Africa, Luanda, Angola

NAI Global Takeaway: Mr. Serrenho's quote speaks for itself, infrastructure is an issue in certain places of the world and office-based work certainly requires high quality internet access. (Similarly, no one is setting up headquarters facilities in certain interior states of the U.S. because cell service can be spotty in many of the plains states and locations). Commuting is the biggest deterrent to higher rates of office occupancy in America's biggest cities, as well as other large metros throughout the world, yet most of these large metros have good internet access within a 100+ radius of them.

ASIA PACIFIC

"China started with strict lockdowns in January 2022 so when people did return to work, they were happy to do so. Despite some of the obvious tradeoffs - commuting in rush-hour traffic, for example, most people in mega-cities live in smaller apartments so going to an office provides a relief from that. Besides, culturally being out-and-about is something people like to do here - dressing up, wearing fine jewelry, shopping and taking business lunches. There is also normal human pride in doing good work and feeling like something was accomplished at the office. Fortunately for most office workers, they like being there, because at this time most Chinese companies are only offering remote work one day a week. Yet beyond the requirement to the return to the offices, managers feel strongly that there is increased efficiency in being face-to-face - to share ideas and experience in an informal and casual way, as well as to develop and grow company culture."

Bjarne Bauer, SIOR, Managing Partner-Commercial Real Estate Transactions, NAI Sofia Group, Shanghai, China

New Zealand and Australia

Opinions on remote and hybrid work diverged in two of the most prominent Asia Pacific markets for NAI Global, and much of it appears to be from city (or market) size, and driven by commute times - or the lack thereof.

According to Andrew Bruce, the office workplace has changed forever. Hybrid working models are here to stay as businesses juggle their desire to get employees back in the office against employees' demands to continue working from home. Compromise is the new norm with work-from-home options i.e., 1-2 days per week now common. Office space is being redefined, Bruce continued, and employees don't miss coming into the office, what they do miss is the social contact and personal collaboration etc. There is much greater emphasis now placed on improving office design with businesses seeking bigger kitchen areas, breakout rooms, collaborative lounges etc. - all designed to give employees a reason to want to come into the office.

Andrew Bruce, Branch Manager/Business Owner, NAI Harcourts, North Shore/Auckland, New Zealand

"New Zealand had a very quick response to the threat posed by Covid 19 with our government forcing the country into a total lockdown on 25 March 2020 and again on 21 August 2021. We all got to work from home with many predicting a change to remote working. Whangarei has a population of around 100,000 residents so we don't have any real traffic issues with most people being able to commute between work and home in 15-to-20 minutes time. Companies here did not take long to realise the disconnect and lack of collaborative thinking resulted in a negative impact on the productivity for their businesses. The result we have experienced is an in increased demand for good office space which is exceeding supply. We still have ample second-rate space but not so many takers for this; this is wholly due to the poor quality of the office space itself. While working from home is an ideological concept it has not worked in reality for us."

Peter Peeters, Commercial and Industrial Specialist, NAI Harcourts, Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand

"Post Covid, we have noticed a rather large decline in the demand for office space in our commercial sector. I believe that Covid in a way made corporations and smaller businesses alike realise that they can run their business' successfully whilst having their staff work from home and save large sums of money in fit-outs, outgoings and of course rent for properties. We are seeing office spaces, namely on the first floor that will really only work as an office space and have no other desired uses - they will stay on the market for extended periods of time, up to 12 months, in a market that previously had such a high demand."

Jack Maunder, Commercial Sales, Leasing & Management, NAI Harcourts, Greater Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia

"Around Australian capital markets, the return to in-office work has appeared to be considerably faster than many international peers. Most markets are reporting between 70-80% of pre-pandemic levels. Despite this statistic, what does appear to still be at play is the hybrid/work from home (WFH) "some days" model. This trend does leave a somewhat ghostly feel in some of the high street offices, where there appears to be a much bigger push back from employees who have enjoyed the WFH model. Australia's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne appear to be grappling with this problem the hardest with many CBD retailers experiencing and reporting lower foot traffic and reduced retail sales. The recovery is underway, but it still has some bumps in the road ahead."

Jason Luckhardt, National Manager, NAI Harcourts, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Final Takeaway and Conclusion: Like other markets, there is some bias toward wanting the return to office work numbers to be greater. People in offices make the areas around their buildings more robust and dynamic. Plus, the NAI Global responders all work in the real estate industry, after all, so they are intrinsically motivated to see office demand increase. City density and living standards, city sizes and commute times clearly are driving issues in relation to WFH preferences in the Asia-Pacific region, just as they are in the U.S. and Europe. Another commonality is that landlord and property owners have recognized the need to invest in their office buildings, and for occupiers and tenants to do so as well, by retrofitting interiors and making office space more welcoming, collaborative, and ultimately, attractive. These are universal sentiments from NAI Global professionals, regardless of city, continent and culture.