As for the rest of the world, according to a survey on freelancers conducted by financial services company Payoneer, 35.5 percent of freelancers are in Europe, 29.2 percent in Latin America and 28 percent in Asia. Freelancing is especially growing in developing countries.

Payoneer CEO Scott Galit says that for workers in developing countries, “freelancing is a way to earn more income than what they could in their local market.” Since Upwork is a global platform that is available in 180 countries, it can make things easier for these workers.

Upwork vs. Other Freelance Platforms and LinkedIn

If freelancing continues to become more common, as predicted, Upwork seems well-positioned to take advantage of the increase. Andrew Opalko, a software developer from Plymouth, Michigan, says Upwork is more convenient and useful than LinkedIn for freelancing purposes.

“Upwork is definitely much easier to use for freelancing than LinkedIn, based on my personal experience,” Opalko said. “Upwork is more specific to freelancing in its intentions and what it has to offer, one example being that it provides a means of facilitating transactions between the client and freelancer.”