The state of the economy has everyone rattled, and many are searching to for ways to bring in more money. The freelance market has become more crowed as more people throw their hat in the ring and search for freelance writing work. What’s your experience?
Are you finding that job posters are offering less money than they were six months ago? Are you finding as many quality leads? Is the freelance writing ring too crowded to make a living? Are you forced to take on other work?
I’m finding that while more companies are finally embracing the idea of the freelance or telecommuting worker, the number of prospective employees far outweighs the employment opportunities. Employers are flooded with applications when they list a freelance position. A large portion of the applicants are new to freelance work and have turned to the option to save money on gas or as a second income to help eliminate some of the credit crunch that is pinching Americans in every arena of our lives.
While I hope that employers who have recently accepted the idea of hiring freelance workers will spread the word about the option and help promote the idea of freelance work and telecommuting, I worry that the hunger and need of the workers will drive down the pay rates and encourage employers to take advantage of the desperation visible in the work force today by demanding more work for less pay. This hurts all of us. When the novice freelance writer is willing to work for a penny a word, it quickly becomes an accepted rate of pay and reduces the chances of anyone making a living at freelance writing.
Tags: credit crunch, economy, freelance writers, poll, telecommute
