More Companies Turning To Virtual Employees

Does your staff live in the cloud? The 2011 Employment Review from Elance reports the number of businesses seeking to hire independent contractors who work remotely online doubled in 2011, and the trend is only going to grow: 83 percent of the small businesses surveyed said they plan to hire up to half of their workers as virtual in the next 12 months.

Technical skills continue to be hot commodities, and for 2012, here's what Elance predicts the 10 most promising online careers will be:

1. Software Developer


2. Visual Designer


3. User Experience Designer


4. Digital Marketer


5. Technical Writer


6. Web Researcher


7. Data Analyst


8. Content Moderator


9. Accountant


10. Distributed Workforce Manager

Why it matters to your business: If you're looking to hire without the expense and hassle of bringing a full-time employee on board, consider hiring independent contractors and working with them online. There are more skilled people out there looking for work than ever before -- so even if you're in need of specialized skills like those in the top 10 list above, you'll be able to find what you need.

Comments

[flydude093095]

08:39 AM on 02/22/2012

The virtual workforce is here to stay and Enterprise companies are beginning to grasp the potential of the concept as well.

[theideasfactory]

08:40 AM on 01/20/2012

7 out of 10 are simply doesn't exist without online presence. I attended convocation at http://www.theideasfactory.com/ and saw many entrepreneurs were discussing the same issue.

[SSHARLIE101]

05:53 PM on 01/19/2012

YA I have to say this one thing though we should always look out for other BIZNESSES or COMPANIES, because i know if i had one i wouldn't mind them helping me out on that, or couching me through, heck ya why not, if you like ADVERTIZing other COMAPANIES hey it can do allott of help indeed, THATS for sure, and a FACT, ya i do enjoy it, and yes it help's out allot, you know, as long they dont go out of BIZNESS you know, it does hurt if some other BIZNESS not makeing it, and i just can imangine, WELL we just got to keep on going to help other's out there, and yes BIZNESS LUV , lol lol pass it on as they say, YA and YES we got to do what we have to do, ADVERTIZEING¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[scottyholm]

04:10 PM on 01/19/2012

In the last 18 months my job went from an office-every-day job to a work-virtually-from-home job. In July 2010, the company I worked for was acquired by our largest competitor, located on the opposite coast. In years past I would have almost certainly been canned and our office shut down. However, due to it becoming more accepted for employees to work from home, most of us in this office got to keep our jobs, and many of us work from home the majority of the time. I only come to my office twice a week, simply to get out of the house. For me it doesn't matter where I work from, since almost everyone on my team is located in Virginia. I feel fortunate to have a job that allows me to work virtually, and I sincerely hope if and when I take another job in the future, that this would continue to be an option for me.

[Linda from Deerfield]

11:17 AM on 01/19/2012

The virtual workforce has been coming for a long time, as soon as U.S. Robotics served a huge segment of the modem industry with only 12 people. On paper, it sounds good, I guess, but U.S. Robotics went out of business as soon as the competition invented the next generation product. To me, that proved you cannot expect virtual employees to lead the way to your stingy company's future. It hasn't kept American enterprise from trying, though, and learning the hard way.