What is freelancer ?

Freelancer.com is an online job marketplace that provides a means for employers and freelancers around the globe to collaborate for mutual benefit.

Freelancer are Individuals or businesses in need of skilled help for short or long-term projects can post those projects and allow freelancers to submit bids for the completion of the work.

For the employer or service buyer, Freelancer.com provides immediate access to thousands of independent contractors with specific skills, without the need to place job ads or provide work space, insurance, etc.

For the freelancer or service provider, Freelancer.com offers a constant source of part-time to full-time work opportunities, without the trouble and expenses of advertising and self-promotion.

A freelancer or freelance worker, is a term commonly used for a person who is self-employed and is not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term.

Freelance workers are sometimes represented by a company or a temporary agency that resells freelance labor to clients; others work independently or use professional associations or websites to get work.

According to the 2012 Freelance Industry Report compiled primarily about North America freelancing, nearly half of freelancers do writing work, with 18% of freelancers listing writing as a primary skill, 10% editing/copy-editing, and 10% as copy-writing.

20% of freelancers listed their primary skills as design. Next on the list was translating (8%), web development (5.5%), and marketing (4%).

However the recent report on the freelancing culture has shown tremendous growth in terms of percentage of freelancers and the economy contribution they will be generating.

According to a survey recently[when?] conducted by PayPal, 47% of freelancers have grown in terms of income drawn through the freelancing work in 12 months.

The freelance field is said[by whom? to grow to 20$-30$ billion in the next 5–7 years in India and the freelancers in US will comprise 40% (approx.) of the work force at the present growth rate.

Depending on the industry, freelance work practices vary and have changed over time. In some industries such as consulting, freelancers may require clients to sign written contracts.

While in journalism or writing, freelancers may work for free or do work "on spec" to build their reputations or a relationship with a publication.

Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients.

Payment for freelance work also depends on industry, skills, experience and location.

Freelancers may charge by the day, hour, a piece rate, or on a per-project basis.

Instead of a flat rate or fee, some freelancers have adopted a value-based pricing method based on the perceived value of the results to the client.

One of the drawbacks of freelancing is that there is no guaranteed payment, and the work can be highly precarious.

In order to ensure payment many freelancers use online payment platforms to protect themselves or work with local clients that can be held accountable.

As an independent contractor, when a freelancer creates creative expressions such as written or artistic works, they are automatically granted ownership of the copyright for their work.

Copyright is rescinded only when a freelancer signs a contract specifying that they are "working for hire," or if they are hired into employment; these rights are further specified in U.S. copyright law, Section 101 in the Copyright Act of 1976 .

The total number of freelancers in USA is inexact, as of 2013, the most recent governmental report on independent contractors was published in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2016, the Freelancers Union estimated that 35% of the workforce in the United States was self-employed (approximately 55 million). This workforce earned an estimated $1 trillion from freelancing in 2016—a significant share of the U.S. economy.

The total number of freelancers in UK is also inexact; however, figures from the Office of National Statistics show that people working mainly at or from home rose from 9.2% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2011.

It has been estimated, however, that there are approximately 1.7 million freelancers in the UK.