The Influx of Online Jobs
It used to be that you were employed, self-employed or unemployed. It was either you work in an office for someone else, or you had your own business as an entrepreneur, or you stay at home if you are jobless. The influx of online jobs has created another class of workers that does not really fall under these three traditional categories.
Enter the freelances, the telecommuters, the providers. No matter how they are called, people holding online jobs are increasing by the minute. A quick look at ODesk, one popular site for finding online jobs, would reveal that there are currently more than 350,000 providers signed up to the service, while more than 320,000 online jobs have been posted. The site also boasts of more than $96 million in earnings to date.
And why not? The benefits are seemingly endless. For businesses, they are able to get top talent for seasonal projects without having to worry about increasing their overhead cost, or rearranging their offices to make room for a new employee. They gain the expertise without the unnecessary expenses. For the online job holder, it means the flexibility and convenience of being able to work where they want, when they want. For some, having an online job means a higher monthly income than holding on to a regular job.