Companies are increasingly turning to freelancers to fill marketing functions, amid widespread layoffs and a reluctance to return to the office, according to new research from freelance marketplace Fiverr.
Some 54% of marketing leaders have more freelancers on their team this year than in previous years, while 80% know of marketing professionals who have become freelancers because of either layoffs or return to office policies.
Steep job losses across the industry — some 85% of marketing leaders surveyed had let workers go since the start of 2022 — have driven high numbers of marketers to go freelance, found the research from Fiverr Pro, the marketplace’s offering targeting medium to large businesses.
Of the marketing leaders who had made layoffs, 83% turned to freelancers to replace the specific expertise that was lost. The main reasons were to support full-time employees (63%), support specific projects (57%), and benefit from new skills (56%).
On average, 45% of marketing leaders’ teams are comprised of freelancers, reported Fiverr Pro. The phenomenon is particularly pronounced for organizations with over 100 employees.
“The unpredictability of the U.S. economy has forced many marketing leaders to lay off full-time workers, which has left entire teams with missing roles that impact productivity,” said Shai-Lee Spigelman, general manager of Fiverr Pro.
“As these leaders look to stabilize their business and fill those gaps, we’re seeing freelancers as a solution that positively benefits the entire team — providing support to full-time employees, bringing in new ideas, and maintaining strong business momentum.”
Meanwhile, 52% of marketing professionals would rule out a job if it required them to be in the office full-time, found researchers. They cited flexibility (53%) and commuting time (43%) as the main reasons.
Some 61% of full-time or part-time marketing professionals have considered freelance opportunities because of their current employer’s return-to-office (RTO) policy, found researchers.
“Looking to the future, I urge marketing leaders who are building their teams and planning their 2024 strategies to seriously consider these new workforce challenges and the impact they may have on the future of their organizations,” said Spigelman.
“Additionally, considering different solutions like freelancers to meet these challenges is key to staying competitive in this rapidly evolving industry. If they don’t, marketing departments and teams will only continue to lose valuable talent to more flexible options and risk being obsolete.”
The research, conducted by CensusWide, sampled over 500 marketing, advertising, brand, growth, PR/communications, and SEO leaders and over 1,000 marketing, advertising, brand, growth, PR/communications, and SEO professionals in the U.S. at the start of September.
Previously known as Fiverr Business, Fiverr Pro is aimed at larger organizations. It consists of white-glove services, including project planning, through which Fiverr-trained experts manage an organization’s projects from start to finish.
Fiverr was established in 2010 by Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger. With headquarters in Tel Aviv, the company went on to open additional offices Berlin, London, Miami, New York City, Phoenix and San Francisco.
