Upwork’s Strategic Embrace of AI Could Push the Stock to $25, According to Experts!

Hand-in-hand with remote acceptance is a cultural shift toward flexible careers. More professionals are choosing independent work for reasons like autonomy, better work-life balance, or higher earning potential. Upwork’s Future Workforce Index (2025) found that 28% of skilled knowledge workers in the U.S. now operate as freelancers or independent professionals. That’s a huge segment – more than a quarter of high-skill workers have left (or never entered) traditional 9-to-5 employment. In 2024 these freelancers collectively earned an estimated $1.5 trillion in income, and many actually out-earn their peers in full-time jobs. The trend is accelerating: 36% of full-time workers (over one in three) are considering shifting to freelancing for greater flexibility or opportunities. Young professionals, especially Gen Z, are leading the charge – over half of skilled Gen Z workers are already freelancing in some capacity. This generational shift suggests that by the end of the decade, independent work could become as common as traditional employment for knowledge roles.