More Employees Working From Home

With the continuing popularity of the Internet, it is not a surprise that more companies are hiring people to work from home. 

According to freelancing site Elance, the growth for virtual positions has steadily increased in the last couple of years. This year alone, employment for the virtual workers doubled in just the first quarter. These online workers include contractors, independent workers, and freelancers. 

The steady growth in work-from-home individuals is an effect of the economic recessions experienced by many countries around the world. Online jobs allow employees to have a source of income despite bad economic conditions. 

Companies also have more options when they hire online workers. They are not bound by geographic location and can find competent and able workers anywhere in the world. 

According to Elance’s report, freelancers’ earnings have grown 122 percent in Greece while online workers in Spain grew 142 percent in terms of last year’s income. 

Companies also greatly benefit from hiring virtual workers. Because their hires work remotely, employers do not need to pay for office space, electricity, etc. They can also choose to hire on a per-project basis instead of hiring workers full-time. 

According to Elance chief executive officer Fabio Rosati, hiring online workers can be a more efficient way of running a business. Even seasoned employees have turned to the Internet to work from the comforts of their own home. 

Some areas appear to be growing faster. These include video editing and production, writing, blogging, audio editing, and voice over. Elance said these jobs account for about 42 percent of job postings in the site.