A recent Upwork study found that 64 million Americans freelanced in 2023, accounting for 38% of America’s workforce. Based on current trends, experts anticipate that most of the U.S. workforce will be freelancing by 2027. Needless to say, freelancing is the future. As you enter the world of entrepreneurship, freelancing may be a viable option to get started and build a portfolio of work. The beauty of being a freelancer is the freedom to work from just about anywhere, choose your clients, and set your own rates.
Graphic design and copywriting are among the most common freelancing gigs out there. But there are plenty of other in-demand, high-paying freelance opportunities to jump-start your entrepreneurial journey. Many of which you may already have the necessary skills for. Let’s explore six freelance jobs that you may not have considered as potential options for freelancing.
Consultant
Businesses, regardless of size, can benefit from the expertise of a consultant who provides independent, targeted advice and solutions. Business consultants are necessary in nearly every industry. IT consultants, HR consultants, risk management consultants—you name it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Demand for consulting services is expected to increase as organizations seek ways to improve efficiency and control costs.”
Consultants provide businesses with strategies and techniques to overcome challenges, identify potential risks, and meet business objectives. A skilled consultant remains curious, thinks strategically, and offers practical solutions. If you have years of experience in a specific field, you may want to consider freelance consulting to share your knowledge while also working for yourself.
Freelancing consultants have one of the highest earning potentials, as companies are willing to pay for expert insight and guidance. The latest stats from ZipRecruiter found that the average annual salary for a freelance business consultant in the U.S. is approximately $99,275.
Automation Specialist
From onboarding new clients to fulfilling orders, there are many processes in the day-to-day operations of a business. For this reason, businesses seek to streamline workflows and increase efficiency to save time and money. As new automation software comes to market, companies need specialists who can focus specifically on implementing automation controls to reduce human error and improve the overall performance of business operations.
Automation specialists are responsible for deploying, monitoring, and managing automated processes by using automation software. Data entry, reporting, invoicing, communications, and scheduling are all examples of processes that can be automated. This alleviates additional manual labor, which equates to time and money saved. The skills required of an automation specialist can vary depending on the scope of the role and business needs. Typically, technical knowledge of testing, quality assurance, coding, risk management, and problem-solving are common skills that an automation specialist would have.
Automation specialists have favorable earning potential as the demand for automation increases across all industries. According to Glassdoor, the annual salary for an automation specialist can range from $76,000 to $123,000 in the U.S. On Upwork, freelancers earn up to $150 an hour for system automation specialist services.
SEO Specialist
In case you didn’t know, SEO stands for search engine optimization. SEO is a key strategy for businesses to rank at the top whenever people search for products, services, or answers to their questions. Think of it this way. If you are a business owner, you want your business to be at the top of the list when people search for the services your business provides. SEO is how businesses gain organic traffic to their website, attract potential customers, and generate leads. See why this is so important?
Behind the high-ranking websites on Google are SEO specialists who optimize content to increase website traffic. They do this by monitoring the algorithms of popular search engines, adding backlinks, enhancing text with keywords, adding meta tags, and more. Having technical and analytical skills with a working knowledge of how search engines function can make you a valuable asset in an SEO specialist role.
Based on Glassdoor’s data, the annual salary for an SEO specialist can range from $54,000 to $91,000 in the U.S.
Social Media Manager
Now more than ever, influencers, content creators, and businesses of all sizes use social media to brand themselves and market their products or services. Businesses have found that building an online community, engaging with followers, and planning content is a full-time job in itself. Following the global pandemic, the demand for digital marketing roles such as social media managers rose significantly. According to Zippia’s data science team, it is expected that the demand will only continue to increase throughout the decade.
The role of a social media manager may vary slightly depending on the client. Smaller companies or individuals may require social media managers to help create and post content while larger companies may require social media managers to focus more on developing strategies, creating content calendars, analyzing metrics, and overseeing campaigns. A social media manager may even be responsible for responding to comments and messages from followers. Overall, the general purpose of a social media manager is to drive engagement, which further establishes brand identity.
The annual salary for a social media manager can range from $52,000 to $82,000 in the U.S. However, keep in mind that, as a freelancer, you can set your own rates, and clients are often willing to pay highly skilled social media and marketing professionals to help build their online presence.
Data Analyst
It’s nearly impossible to run a business without data involved. Companies use data to help identify and solve problems. As businesses scale and adopt new technologies that rely on big data, the demand for data analysts continues to rise.
Data analysts collect, analyze, and interpret data by generating dashboards, charts, and graphs to tell a story and drive business decisions. Microsoft Excel, Tableau, and SQL are the most common tools for cleaning data and creating visualizations. Whether it was for a report, presentation, or your finances, you’ve likely analyzed data at one point or another, so these may be skills you already have.
Recent data from ZipRecruiter found that the average hourly pay for a freelance data analyst in the U.S. is $32.93 an hour, with hourly wages as high as $61.78. The earning potential could be even greater as a freelancer working with multiple clients.
Virtual Assistant
Small businesses and solopreneurs often seek support with administrative tasks so they can focus on their expertise. Virtual assistants (VA) can help with all sorts of responsibilities, such as scheduling appointments, responding to emails, editing content, and managing data. However, these days, successful VAs are providing more targeted services beyond just the basic admin tasks.
As a freelancing VA, you can provide specialty services, including any of the freelance services mentioned above. Digital marketing, project management, and e-commerce are in-demand skill sets for VAs. Like most freelancing gigs, you have the freedom to customize your services based on your skills and client needs.
On average, freelancing VAs typically charge anywhere from $12 an hour up to $50 an hour or more, depending on location and skills.
