Did the expected freelance trends and developments of 2022 materialize?
At the beginning of 2022, we came out with a blog about the expected freelancing trends and developments of that same year. In this article, we are going to look back at those. For each prediction, you'll discover whether or not it came true. Did it not come true? Then we will try to explain that for you. This way, you will not only learn a lot about the current freelancing trends and those of 2022, but you will also be optimally prepared for what to expect in 2023. Finally, we also cover the trends of 2022 that we didn't see coming. This will give you a complete analysis of 2022 as a freelancing year.
Freelancing as an ICT professional
First, we predicted a substantial growth in ICT freelancers. This would be due to growing automation. CBS figures showed that there has indeed been a substantial growth in ICT freelancers. For example, 19,000 ICT freelancers were added compared to the previous year. The substantial increase in freelance assignments for ICT freelancers clearly makes this profession more popular.
Remote work
Furthermore, we also expected working from home to remain popular in 2022. Because of the lockdowns, this was already very much done in 2021. Because of this, it would not be surprising if this continued in 2022. Research has shown that the number of home-based workers at the end of 2022 decreased compared to the end of 2021. This is because we were in a lockdown at the end of 2021 and not at the end of 2022. We do see then the number of distance workers has increased compared to before the lockdowns. So the lockdowns did have a lasting impact on the work site.
Pro bono work
Third, it was also expected at the beginning of 2022 that disinterested work would remain popular in 2022. This is voluntary work where you are not paid. It is often done to garner name recognition for a service. After all, the more name recognition, the more freelance assignments you can win. Unfortunately, the research results on the popularity of pro bono work in 2022 are not yet known at the time of writing this blog. However, we do see a steady increase in this in recent years. It is strongly to be expected that this has also happened in 2022.
A changing work culture
It was also expected that a new work culture would emerge from the lockdowns. In doing so, it was predicted that the use of platforms would change. No hard figures are known for this, but we do see a change in the use and wants and needs of platforms.
Unexpected trends
Finally, there are definitely trends that came along that we did not initially expect. In this section, we list them for you.
Increase in freelancers
First of all, the number of people looking for a freelance assignment increased significantly in 2022. An increase was in line with expectations, but not as large as the increase would actually be. This sizeable increase can be explained by the financial benefits it can bring. This became a necessary choice for more and more people because of the high inflation in the last months of 2022.
Freelancers in the health and welfare sector
The increase in freelancers in the health and welfare sector was the largest in 2022. This can be explained by the increase in demand for care that occurred in 2022. This increased the demand for care workers. The increasing financial reward this resulted in caused more and more people to choose to work in the care and welfare industry on a freelance basis in 2022.
Many hybrid freelancers
Finally, there was also a significant increase in the number of freelancers working hybrid in 2022. That is, they work part-time as freelancers while also working part-time at a permanent job. This is a good combination for those who crave both the freedoms you can enjoy as a freelancer and the security and permanence that comes with a permanent job. These advantages led to an increase in the number of hybrid freelancers by 2022.