In-demand freelance skills according to Upwork

Approximately 2 million people are expected to graduate from college in 2024, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Many of those graduates will be diving into the workforce and beginning to build their careers.

For those young people considering what to focus on to try to get more traction in the job market, freelance marketplace Upwork recently released its list of the most in-demand skills for 2024.

Here are six skills across categories ranging from web development to admin support, including what each entails and how much professionals are charging for it on the platform.

Data analysts look at “incredibly large and complex sets of data to derive insights that will drive the trajectory” of a business, says Margaret Lilani, vice president of talent delivery at Upwork. They use tools like Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheet, SQL and Tableau.

“The technology is new and it’s evolving at a crazy pace,” she says about these tools. “And so the humans who know how to leverage that technology and utilize it and deploy it are going to be the ones who are the winners in that game.”

Data analysts on Upwork charge as much as $167 per hour.

When it comes to building websites and apps, full stack developers are responsible “for both the front and the back ends” of a website, says Vicki Salemi, career expert for Monster. That is, they’re responsible for the interface the user sees, as well as the mechanisms at play that make it work.

Given the constant development of technology, demand for full stack development “isn’t going away,” says Lilani.

Full stack developers on Upwork are charging as much as $190 per hour.

Social media marketers spread the word about their clients on platforms ranging from Instagram to Pinterest with the goal of “building platforms, interacting with customers, building brands, boosting sales, driving website traffic,” Salemi says.

Like full stack development and given the prevalence of these platforms, “social media marketing is another one that’s not going away,” Lilani says.

Social media marketers charge as much as $250 per hour.

Accountants examine financial statements to help businesses and individuals operate, file taxes, etc. Businesses often “need to have fast access to experts who can get the job done,” Lilani says. “And that’s a business problem for a Fortune 10. That’s also a business problem for an up-and-coming startup.”

“We’re always going to need to pay taxes,” Salemi says, so this skill, too, has longevity.

Accountants on Upwork charge as much as $125 per hour.

General virtual assistants help clients in an array of different ways. They get hired to “do their calendar, to help out with email, to spruce up some presentations” and so on, says Lilani.

Some can specialize in certain software or platforms “but the generalist nature also allows them to be nimble,” she says.

These assistants charge as much as $65 per hour on Upwork.

Graphic designers are “creating visual concepts that go hand in hand with the branding” of their clients, says Salemi. They create logos, infographics, social media posts, presentations and so on.

“We’re living in a visual society,” says Lilani. “And so graphic design is all the more critical.”

Graphic designers are charging as much as $150 per hour on Upwork.

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