In fact, the Freelancers Union reports that the number of full-time freelancers jumped by a whopping 64% from 2014 to 2019. According to Britain’s The Guardian, the gig economy doubled in the UK from 2016 to 2019 and is now made up of 4.7 million workers.  

If current trends continue, more than half of the entire U.S. workforce will be freelancing according to the warehouse and fulfillment staffing platform Wonolo.

But why are people opting to go freelance? Because businesses are hiring them. 

And when you look at the benefits that come from tapping into this growing talent pool, it’s easy to see why. Freelancers…

• Are more cost-effective and flexible than traditional employees.
• Tend to be more highly skilled and experienced than the typical workforce.
• Offer specific expertise that might otherwise be hard to find. 
• Can bring valuable networking opportunities.
• Tend to work remotely, saving businesses even more on overhead.  

However, working with the wrong freelancer can cause serious problems too.  

It can waste valuable time, put a drain on financial resources, and even poison the relationship with your clients. So, the question is: how do you make sure you’re only hiring the best freelance talent? How do you wade through the ever-growing pool of full-time freelancers to find the one that’s actually right for your business?  

Well, doing so may be easier than you think with.