The impact of the employment paradigm shift that has taken place over the past few years likely will last well beyond the end of the pandemic.

"The unprecedented global shift to remote work created by the pandemic transformed the public's notion of work and the workplace, and has had a lasting impact on how people view their jobs and careers," according to the Freelance Forward 2022 survey from Upworks. "In 2022, an increasing percentage of the U.S. workforce turned to freelancing opportunities to find greater professional fulfillment, flexibility and financial stability, and a new approach to managing their career trajectory."

Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. workers – or 60 million people — performed freelance