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Freelancing can be a great way to make good money and explore different career paths. It gives you the flexibility to choose which freelance skills you want to focus on and hone in on.
As technology advances and more businesses look to outsource tasks, becoming a freelancer has become an increasingly attractive option for many people.
- 31% of freelancers earn more than $75,000 a year.
- Freelancers can earn an average of $15 to $150 per hour depending on their freelancing skills.
- 65% of freelancers make more money than in their previous job.
Becoming a successful freelancer requires not only certain soft skills but also the right in-demand freelancing skills in order to increase your chances of success as a freelancer and stay competitive.
With this article, we’ll explore which skills are presently most sought after by employers, so that freelancers can get ahead of the game. But if you are thinking about where to start learning the required freelancing skills or are wondering where freelancers can start finding clients and making money you can check out these article next.
- Great freelance site to earn money for new and experienced freelancers.
- Top online learning platform to learn new skills.
Best In-Demand Freelance Skills To Learn
Freelance work provides a valuable alternative to traditional employment, offering creative freedom and flexible hours. Here is the top high-demand skill set you may want to learn as a freelancer.
1. Translation
Translation provides a freelancer the unique opportunity to develop their linguistic capabilities, demonstrate proficiency in multiple languages, and hone their communication skills.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
The ability to speak and write in more than one language or being bilingual has become increasingly important in the modern globalized economy as many organizations are now operating on an international level and require personnel with the ability to bridge the language barrier between parties.
Given the ubiquity of digital communication technologies, the demand for professionals with this particular skill set is likely to increase as businesses become increasingly globalized.
The translation industry is growing industry, and currently, it is growing at a Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.0%, and translation-related service is expected to reach USD$45.82 billion by 2025.
Where To Learn This Skill
2. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is also known as digital marketing and e-marketing which uses social media channels to help promote a product or service, build a company’s brand, increase sales and drive traffic.
Social media are platforms that allow users to build social networks and share information with their fans and followers.
The skill of social media marketing allows freelancers to be effective in using social media networks to promote themselves or their clients.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
With the raise of social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and LinkedIn. People spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media.
Information sharing social media platform:
- Facebook: 2.93 billion active monthly users
- Instagram: 1.39 billion active monthly users
- LinkedIn: 810 million active monthly users
- Pinterest: 433 million active monthly users
- Twitter: 436 million active monthly users
Video sharing social media platform:
- YouTube: 2.6 billion active monthly users
- TikTok: 1.53 billion active monthly users
- Snapchat: 557 million active monthly users
Learning to become amazing at social media marketing provides the opportunity to capitalize on the immense potential and through developing proficiency in this area, freelancers can gain access to a variety of tools that provide them with the capacity to reach a wider audience and efficiently generate leads.
Social media marketing let freelancers provide their clients with the marketing service as well as gives them the ability to market their freelancing business by creating engaging content that resonates with their target demographic.
Revenue for this industry is forecasted to grow from USD$49.04 billion this year to USD$267.79 billion in the year 2030 expanding at a CAGR of 23.6%. It is one of the most highly demanded skills for modern freelancers.
Recommended Courses To Learn Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Marketing: Organic & Ads
- Social Media Marketing Fundamentals
- Social Media Content Strategy
3. Video Editing
Video editing is an important skill to develop for those seeking to enter the digital media industry.
With a combination of technical and creative skills, a professional video editor can create timely transitions together with the use of roll A and roll B, adding special effects, making adjustments to the color composition, and color grading.
Skill in video editing allows for enhanced storytelling, but it also makes the video more engaging and holds the attention of the viewer longer.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
Learning basic video editing skills provides freelancers with the ability to execute projects that meet client needs and expectations, thus making them more viable candidates for freelance work.
As advances in digital media and communication technologies continue to grow, video editing skills become increasingly in demand, allowing freelancers to take advantage of the growing demand for high-quality video content.
Video editing services are currently valued at USD$30.2 Billion and are expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.39% reaching USD$48.97 Billion by 2027.
Recommended Courses To Learn Video Editing Skills
4. Copywriting
Copywriting is an essential skill in the modern economy, as it plays a critical role in helping businesses communicate their messages effectively.
It requires an understanding of the fundamentals of persuasive language, and the ability to craft compelling messages that are tailored to specific audiences.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
By leveraging copywriting, companies can create compelling narratives that persuade customers to make purchases and build strong relationships with brands.
As a result, copywriting is increasingly becoming a desirable and in-demand freelancing skill for businesses looking to increase their market presence.
Copywriting is essential for those wishing to become successful freelancers to develop a mastery of this skill as a service to be provided for clients and to help market yourself in order to be able to compete in the marketplace.
Recommended Courses To Learn Copywriting
- Become A Professional Copywriter For Any Platform
- Viral Marketing and Copywriting
- E-Commerce Copywriting: The Key To Conversion
5. Coding (Computer Programming)
Coding is sometimes called computer programming, and with the emergence of digital technologies, coding has become an increasingly sought-after skill set with the potential to enable individuals to gain access to high-playing gigs and lucrative freelancing opportunities.
Skill with coding is writing codes that are a set of instructions understood by a computer, the list of common programming languages includes:
- Python: 16.66%
- C: 16.56%
- C++: 11.94%
- Java: 11.82%
- C#: 4.92%
- Visual Basic: 3.94%
- JavaScript: 3.19%
- SQL: 2.22%
- Assembly Language: 1.87%
- PHP: 1.62%
- R: 1.25%
- Go: 1.15%
- MATLAB: 0.95%
- Swift: 0.91%
- Ruby: 0.81%
Why is this skill in-demanded?
Learning to code allows one to tap into the vast potential of the web and mobile app market, and to create innovative solutions that solve problems for clients. A foundation for developing other necessary digital competencies such as web development, software engineering, and database management.
The Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the programming language training market is 15.15%, and the market is forecasted to increase by another USD$5.375 Billion in the future.
With more companies demanding professionals who know how to code, coding has become one of the most in-demand skills for the next 10 years.
Recommended Courses To Learn This Skill
6. Web Development
Web Development is an increasingly vital skill set to possess in the modern economy, both from a professional and entrepreneurial perspective.
As a web developer, it is essential to understand the fundamentals of web development, including the common development languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, in order to create dynamic and visually appealing websites that are optimized for user experience.
By understanding the principles of website architecture, a freelancer can develop a new website from the ground up or further enhance existing ones with more sophisticated features.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
The proliferation of digital technology has necessitated that businesses have a business website that helps to promote their business to the online community. As such, web development skills are in high demand amongst employers and those looking to build their own businesses.
| Year | No. Of Website | No. Of Active Websites |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,167,715,133 | 198,988,100 |
| 2021 | 1,197,982,359 | 199,533,484 |
| 2020 | 1,295,973,827 | 189,000,000 |
| 2019 | 1,518,207,412 | 182,185,876 |
| 2018 | 1,805,260,010 | 171,648,771 |
There are three types of web developers:
- Frontend web developer
- Backend web developer
- Full stack web developer
Web development provides a gateway into more advanced web topics such as UX/UI design, Cloud Computing, DevOps, and Software Architecture.
Recommended Courses For Learning Web Development Skills
7. App Development
App development is a rapidly emerging field of study that has become increasingly important in the modern technological age. As mobile applications (iSO and Andriod system) are becoming more prolific and prevalent in our lives, being able to develop them offers a myriad of potential opportunities for those who can effectively harness the technology.
Understanding the programming skills required to develop an app have become one of the most highly paid skills that a freelancer should learn.
Mobile application development programming languages:
- Swift
- Java
- Objective C
- JavaScript
Desktop application development programming languages:
- Python
- Go
- Scala
Gaming application development programming languages:
- Unity
- TypeScript
Why is this skill in-demanded?
The ability to develop applications for both mobile and other platforms provides individuals with marketable skills that are highly sought after by businesses seeking to differentiate their products and services from competitors.
The application market has grown from USD$205.15 billion in 2021 to USD$260.38 billion in 2022, and it is expected to grow to USD$703.13 billion in 2026 with a CAGR of 28.19%.
With such amazing growth, the demand for freelancers equipt with such skills will increase at a similar rate.
Recommended Courses To Learn App Development Skills
- Unity Basics: A Monetised Android/iOS Game in 4 Hours.
- Build your first iOS App in Swift – iOS Development Fundamentals
- Intro to App Design: Craft a Mobile Prototype in an Afternoon Using Marvel
8. Graphic Design
Graphic design is an invaluable skill set within the creative industry. Understanding the fundamentals of graphic design allows one to create visual marketing materials, logos, and web designs that will establish them as professionals that can gain a competitive edge and develop creative solutions to marketing problems.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
Graphic Design provides an invaluable opportunity to create tangible visual resources that can be used in many different contexts and industries.
Skill in graphic design equips the graphic designer with the necessary tools to convey persuasive messages through visual means in order to effectively communicate their ideas.
Graphic design is a USD$50.4 billion industry and it is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% and reach USD$83.8 billion by the end of 2032.
Recommended Courses To Learn Graphic Design
- Logo Design Fundarmentals
- Create and Design Memorable Presentations
- Shopify: Design A Store For Conversion
9. Search Engine Optimization (Analytics, Search Console
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical skill if you want to increase website visibility and traffic. SEO involves optimizing web content for search engine algorithms, which can positively influence rankings in search engine results pages.
SEO consists of 4 components:
- Technical SEO optimization such as; site speed, ensuring website discovery by web crawlers, adapt to different devices such as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
- On-page SEO such as; keyword optimization, user experience (UX), and user interaction (UI) optimization.
- Off-page SEO such as; backlinking strategies, social awareness, and guest blogging.
- Content optimization such as; audience insight, and knowing what the audience is looking for.
A freelancer who knows the skill of SEO should also know the related tools associated with this skill, some of the common tools are:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- SEMRUSH
- Ahref
- Ubersuggest
- Moz
Why is this skill in-demanded?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps to optimize a webpage to increase the likelihood of potential customers discovering the company or service.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is essential in the modern digital economy which involves optimizing a website or content to increase its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages, thereby increasing organic web traffic.
Which increases the likelihood of potential customers discovering the company or service.
This process entails understanding the algorithms used by popular search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
Today, the global market for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is estimated to be US$57.1 Billion and is projected to reach US$99.4 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 8.2%.
Recommended Courses To Learn SEO
- SEO Fundamentals: The Ultimate Framework
- SEO – Website Technical Audit Fundamentals
- Website Promotion: Drive Quality Traffic To Your Site
- Becoming an SEO Specialist
10. Web Design (UI/UX)
Web design is the understanding of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design principles to effectively develop aesthetically pleasing and functional websites that meet the needs of clients.
- UX design is about the overall feel of the experience while using the website, application, or service, identifying and solving users’ problems to enhance the user experience.
- UI design is about how the product’s interfaces look and function, it is about creating an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interface.
UI and UX are both essential for web design and many freelancers are experts in both UI/UX in order to create an appealing website.
Why is this skill in-demanded?
With more companies having their own website and applications, knowing how to do web design allows them to create websites and applications that are both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional, for the company or client, thereby providing an improved user experience for end-users.
Whether it is to design a new website or application, or simply to maintain the content on the page, web design comes in handy and is in high demand in the future. As a USD$11.0 Billion industry today, a good UI design can increase the conversion by 200% and a good UX design can increase the conversion rate by 400%.
Recommended Courses To Learn Website Design UI/UX Skill
- How to Use AI and ChatGPT for Efficient UX Research
- Adobe XD: UX/UI Design Essentials
- Figma UI UX Design Advanced: Become a Figma Pro
11. Blockchain Programming
Blockchain programming is an in-demand skill that has recently emerged as a result of the evolution of blockchain technology.
A blockchain simply enables the verification and tracing of multistep transactions without the need for a centralized platform, building a transparent supply chain.
Blockchain essentially has the potential to,
- Providing secure transaction
- Speed up data transfer
- Reduce data transfer cost
Why is this skill in-demanded?
Blockchain programming is integral to the development of distributed ledger systems and cryptocurrency operations, making it a highly sought-after skill by technology companies.
As we are progressing into the digital economy and the demand for blockchain programmers will only continue to grow.
Blockchain technology provides a secure and immutable ledger for data and transactions, making it well-suited for a range of applications such as;
- Money Transfer
- Smart contracts
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Personal identity security
- Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
Blockchain technology enables the revolution of the internet and pushes us into web 3.0, and with companies trying to create a Metaverse, jobs will be created in the metaverse, and according to the 5 Meta Natio Model, the future for blockchain programmers will be very bright.
Many big tech companies are investing billions into blockchain-related technology;
- Alphabet: $1.506 Billion
- BlackRock: $1.17 Billion
- Morgan Stanley: $1.11 Billion
- Samsung: $979 Million
- Goldman Sachs: $698 Million
- BNY Mellon: $690 Million
- PayPal: $690 Million
- Microsoft: $477 Million
- Commonwealth Bank: $421 Million
- Prosus: $260 Million
- Tencent: $224.5 Million
- CITI: $215 Million
- UOB: $204 Million
- Wells Fargo: $165 Million
- LG: $129 Million
Blockchain programming is an invaluable skill for freelancers who wish to remain competitive in the technology sector. Although blockchain technology is still in it’s infancy, it is one of the most promising technologies of the modern era, with a wide range of applications across multiple industries.
Recommended Courses For Blockchain Programming Skills
- Blockchain Basics
- Introduction to NFTs: Non-fungible Tokens
- Building Web3 Decentralized Apps in Ethereum
- Blockchain Programming in JavaScript
Which Freelancing Skill Is Best For Beginners?
The best freelancing skill for beginners is dependent on the individual’s background knowledge and understanding of the industry. Whether it is a side hustle or a career switch, understanding the following factors can help you know which freelancing skills suit you;
- Identify an area where you have some expertise or can quickly acquire the necessary skillset.
- Assess the current market demand for particular services provided by a freelancer.
- Understand your personal interest and passion so that you can continue to pursue and improve your freelancing skills.
Learning a new set of skills can help you in your freelancing career regardless of which gig you are in. We’ve reviewed some of the best online learning platforms for you to learn a new skill, just take a look and you may find one that suits you.
Question…
Are there freelancing skills that you think should make it into this list?
Let us know in the comments below!
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