NORFOLK, Va. - The past 15 months have forced many of us to rethink how we work.
For some, it's meant turning to freelance work.
According to a recent report from Fiverr, a platform for freelancers, the pandemic has just accelerated an industry that's been growing in recent years.
In 2020, 6.1 million people reported doing freelance work, earning an estimated $234 billion in revenue.
That includes everything from graphic design to accounting.
Brent Messenger, vice president of public policy and community for Fiverr, says the big draw for a lot of people is the flexibility to set your own hours and rates.
"The way our service works is, the freelancers say, 'This is what I'm going to do, this is how long it's going to take me, and this is how much I'm going to charge, and if that's what you want, I'm your person,' and so they have absolute control in that sense, and I think a lot of people like that."
According to their report, 59% of freelancers said their revenue was the same or greater in 2020 compared to the year before.
