oDesk Reports Major Trends in 2008 Freelance Job Market

San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) January 15, 2009

oDesk, the leading marketplace for online workteams, has compiled and analyzed data from over 100,000 freelance jobs posted in 2008. The findings, which show the most critical skills to stay employed, are summarized in the three reports below.

Web Developer Skills in Most Demand

PHP programmers were by far the most in-demand web professionals in the oDesk marketplace in 2008. Other hot programming skills that employers are looking for include Ajax, MySQL, CSS, and Graphic Design.

Fastest Growing Skills by Demand Growth

WordPress developers (+427%) and SEO consultants (+242%) enjoyed the greatest increase in demand for their particular skills, reflecting small businesses’ ongoing need to have a strong web presence. Growth in writing and Excel reflects the increasing number of jobs oDesk buyers are outsourcing as well as oDesk’s expansion into these categories.

Jobs with the Least Competition

Freelance professionals can also improve their chances of finding jobs by focusing on skills with the least competition. oDesk’s findings show that Database Modeling, LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP), Facebook, and Drupal represent some of the best opportunities for freelancers because demand for these skills far outweighs the number of available contractors.

“In these difficult economic times, it’s harder to earn a living which makes it even more important for freelancers to focus on the skills that are most in demand,” said oDesk CEO Gary Swart. “oDesk will continue to publish useful data to help freelance professionals stay informed about the skills that are most in demand.”

About oDesk

oDesk (http://www.oDesk.com) is the leading marketplace for online workteams with the best model for both buyers and providers:

For buyers: guaranteed work – every hour billed is an hour worked. Screen captures of each provider’s desktop taken at random intervals enable buyers to audit the hours and work completed so they have confidence every hour billed by a remote team member is an hour worked. This capability also enables the buyer to collaborate more closely and re-direct the provider if necessary, much like you do when you manage by walking around.

For providers: guaranteed payment – every hour worked is an hour paid without the hassle of invoicing or slow-paying clients making oDesk the preferred marketplace for 170,000+ professional contractors including software engineers, web developers, graphic designers, writers, researchers, admins, and customer service agents.

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oDesk Reports Major Trends in 2008 Freelance Job Market