X
Innovation

20 fastest-growing online jobs for 2013, so far

Business processing outsourcing, technical writing, 3D modeling, and HTML5 development top the list of contract skills in demand for the first quarter of 2013.
Written by Joe McKendrick, Contributing Writer

The fastest-growing online or contract jobs can be found in business process outsourcing, e-commerce, and HTML5 development. In addition, there is rising demand for Android development skills, now outpacing Apple. 3D design jobs are taking off as 3D printers start to go mainstream.

us-census-national-processing-center-photo-from-us-department-of-commerce1.jpg
Photo credit: US Census Bureau

Those are some of the findings in Freelancer.com's latest analysis of its fastest-growing job categories. The online services site analyzed about 280,000 jobs for the first quarter of this year, finding strong demand in various tech sectors.

Business processing outsourcing (BPO) jobs topped the list, with demand rising by more than 100% in the last quarter. The Freelancer report says the rise of "virtual assistants" is fueling this demand.

"Outsourcing basic administration tasks is rapidly becoming the norm for western small business, as small to medium businesses increasingly become comfortable with accessing an online workforce. No longer the exclusive domain of large multinationals, small businesses and startups are increasingly adopting outsourcing as a way to get ahead of the competition, saving money on simple back-office tasks which can then be redirected to hiring more skilled labor or expanding operations."

Article submission and technical writing followed as the second and third-ranked skills in demand, a reflection of rising content-based strategies, the report states -- tied to search engine optimization (SEO), and the need to provide quality that transcends search algorithm changes.

Also on the top of the list is 3D modeling, a reflection of the rise of 3D printing within enterprises. 3D rendering also makes the top 20 skills categories.

Freelancer identified 50 fast-growing skills categories; here are its top 20:

  1. BPO +112.8%
  2. Article submission +54.5%
  3. Technical writing +26.2%
  4. 3D modeling +21.4%
  5. Email marketing +20.6%
  6. Android +20.5%
  7. PowerPoint +20.4%
  8. Wordpress +20.2%
  9. HTML5 +20.1%
  10. Illustrator +20.1%
  11. eCommerce +19.0%
  12. Twitter +17.8%
  13. Shopping carts +17.5%
  14. PSD to HTML +17.1%
  15. Photoshop design  +14.8%
  16. Bulk marketing +14.6%
  17. CSS +14.5%
  18. Magento +14.5%
  19. 3D rendering +13.3%
  20. Web search +12.8%

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

Editorial standards