The 2018 Future Workforce Report reveals that hiring managers face significant challenges in filling open positions, with 91% experiencing unfilled roles largely due to a shortage of skills and budget constraints. Remote work and freelancer usage are on the rise, yet many companies lack the necessary policies to support these trends, with expectations for a significant increase in flexible talent utilization in the coming years. As work paradigms shift toward more dynamic and agile models, companies will need to adapt to a changing landscape characterized by increased reliance on remote and freelance workers.

1. 2018 Future Workforce Report:
Hiring manager insights on flexible and remote work trends
February 2018
© Copyright 2018 Inavero, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2. Table of Contents
2
Topic Page
Study Objectives 3
Research Methodology 4
Key Findings 5
Companies today face a dilemma 10
Work is changing 14
Remote work is more common, but companies lack policies to support 23
Freelancer usage is accelerating 31
The future workforce 39
Profile of respondents 41
Appendix 46

3. Study Objectives
Upwork commissioned Inavero, an independent research firm, to conduct a
study of workforce hiring in the U.S., focusing on knowledge work, with
these objectives:
1. Understand the hiring challenges companies face today
2. Examine how work is changing as skills and technology evolve
3. Explore how teams are handling remote workforce management
4. Learn how companies are utilizing freelancers now and in the
future
5. Discover how the workforce will evolve in the next 10 years
This deck is organized in sections to detail results on each objective.
3

4. Research Methodology
• An online survey of 1,005 workforce hiring decision makers obtained
through a third-party, independent online sample.
• Data collected November 8, 2017 – November 15, 2017 by independent
research firm Inavero.
• This is the second year the survey has been conducted.
• Overall margin of error of ±3.09% at 95% confidence level.
4

5. Key Findings
5
Companies today face a dilemma
• Nearly all (91%) hiring managers had open positions on their team at
some point in 2017.
• The typical position is open for 36 days, with engineering (45 days)
and accounting/finance (39 days) positions open the longest.
• Over three times as many hiring managers said hiring was more
difficult in 2017 than said it was easier.
• Access to skills (53%) cost/budget (45%) and internal hiring
processes (33%) were the top hiring challenges in 2017.

6. Key Findings
6
Work is changing
• Globalization, skill specialization and agile team models will change
the workforce in the next 10 years.
• The majority of hiring managers (65%) agree that companies will
need to invest in training/re-skilling to prepare workers for the jobs
of tomorrow.
• Over half (52%) of hiring managers cited shortage of talent as the
top driver for adopting a more flexible workforce model.
• Hiring managers expect a 168% increase in the amount of work done
by flexible talent (temporary, freelance or agency workers) in 10
years.

7. Key Findings
7
Remote work is more common, but companies lack policies to support
• A majority (63%) of companies have remote workers, yet more than
half (57%) lack work-from-home policies.
• 5X as many hiring managers expect more of their team to work
remotely in the next 10 years than expect less.
• 2X as many hiring managers cite having the right skills as being
more important than working in the same location as the rest of the
team.
• Majority of hiring managers with remote workers (61%) and work
from home policies (52%) agree hiring has gotten easier in the past
year.

8. Key Findings
8
Freelancer usage is accelerating
• A large majority (79%) report their company’s utilization of
freelancers has changed over the past 3 years.
• Nearly half (48%) of companies are currently using freelancers, up
43% from 2017.
• 4X more hiring managers expect their usage of freelancers to
increase in 2018 than those who expect it to decrease.
• Nine out of 10 hiring managers are open to working with freelancers
rather than making temporary hires through a staffing firm.

9. Key Findings
9
The future workforce
• 6X as many hiring managers agree that dynamic and agile team
structures will become the norm.
• 3X as many hiring managers agree that offices will serve as
temporary anchor points rather than daily travel destinations.
• In fact, 38 percent of full-time/permanent employees will work
predominantly remotely.
• The majority (56%) of companies will have increased their use of
freelancers, 74 percent among companies who currently use
freelancers.

10. 10
Companies today face a dilemma

11. Companies are struggling to find talent
11
Q2.9. Thinking of the most recent roles you have been involved in trying to fill in the past year, how long have each been open (or how long were each
open before being filled)? (n=910)
91%
of hiring managers had
open positions in 2017
36
Average days a position
is open

12. 12Q2.10. In your opinion, how hard has hiring for the following roles been this past year compared to prior years? (n=958)
Total
Over 3x as many hiring managers said hiring was
more difficult in 2017 than said it was easier
Hiring difficulties have increased for all roles

13. Access to skills is the biggest challenge managers face
13Q2.11. What Are Your Biggest Hiring Challenges? (n=539)
Q2.21 Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about the workforce of today compared to three years ago (n=999)
Note: Question was only asked to those who said that
hiring got harder for any role/skillset
59%
Of hiring managers agree that
skills have become more
specialized as compared to
three years ago

14. 14
Work is changing

15. Globalization, skill specialization and agile team models
are shaping the future workforce
15Q3.4. Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about how workforce models will change in the next 10 years. (n=1002)
Note: Chart shows net agreement (% agree = % disagree)

16. The acceleration of skills will require frequent learning to
remain marketable
16Q5.3. How likely is it that the following scenarios will occur in 10 years? (n=890)
Think it’s likely
that workers will
have to learn new
skills to stay
marketable as the
job market
evolves
85%
As many hiring managers think
it’s unlikely their entire job
will be automated than those
who felt very likely
Think it’s likely
that AI will
accelerate the
growth of
knowledge work
Think it’s likely
that parts of their
job will be
automated
59%
65% 3X

17. Companies will need to invest in re-skilling as AI/robotics
drives productivity and accelerates knowledge work
17Q5.4. Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about the impact AI/robotics will have on the future of jobs. (n=974)
Note: Chart shows net agreement (% agree = % disagree)

18. The Internet of Things ranked top innovation in next ten
years, 2X more than AI and 3X more than robotics
18Q5.1. Please rank the following technological innovations in order of the impact they will have on your business in the next 10 years: (n=867)

19. IoT among the most sought after skills in 2018, along with
marketing/sales automation, big data and analytics
19Q5.2. What top 3 skills matter most to the roles you’ll be hiring for in 2018? (n=974)

20. Talent shortage is the top driver leading companies to
adopt more flexible workforce models
20
Q2.16. (If have hired/will hire freelancers in 2017 or 2018) What are the key drivers for your organization adopting a more flexible workforce (i.e.
freelancers, temporary or agency workers)? (n=219)
Q 2.21 Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about the workforce of today compared to three years ago (n=1,000)
53%
Of hiring managers agree
that companies are
embracing more flexible
teams as compared to three
years ago

21. of departments currently
utilize flexible talent
(temporary, freelance and
agency workers)
59%
Departments are increasing their usage of flexible talent
21Q2.5. Within your department, how many of the following types of workers do you have currently? How many do you expect to have in 2018? (n=861)
The percentage of
departments that utilize
some form of flexible talent
is up
Compared to last year
24%(Up 11 Points)

22. Hiring managers expect significant increase in work done
by flexible talent in the next 10 years
22
Q2.5. Within your department, how many of the following types of workers do you have currently? How many do you expect to have in 2018? (n=861)
Q3.3. What percentage of your department’s work do you estimate will be done by the following types of workers in 10 years? (n=964)
Among All Departments
Among Departments with Flexible Talent in 2017
Worker Composition
in 2017
Expected % of Work
Done in 10 Years
Worker Composition
in 2017
Expected % of Work
Done in 10 Years
Increase
168%
Increase
149%

23. 23
Remote work is more common, but
companies lack policies to support

24. The majority of departments have remote team members
24
Q4.1. Do you have any team members who conduct a significant portion of their work from a remote location? (n=974)
Q4.10. [If “yes” to work from home policy] How often does a typical member of your team work from home? (n=405)
63%
of all departments have team
members who work remotely

25. Department has
resources/processes
in place to support a
remote workforce
And the resources in place to support a remote workforce
25
Company overall has
resources/processes
in place to support a
remote workforce
Q4.5. Do you feel your department has the resources and processes in place to support a remote workforce? (n=892)
Q4.6. Do you feel your company as a whole has the resources and processes in place to support a remote workforce? (n=899)

26. Yet, more than half lack a work-from-home policy
26Q4.9. Does your company have a work-from-home policy? (n=941)
57%
of organizations do not have a
work-from-home policy

27. Companies with work-from-home policies feel their
policies have become more lenient in past 5 years
27
Q4.9. Does your company have a work-from-home policy? (n=941)
Q4.10. [If “yes” to work from home policy] How often does a typical member of your team work from home? (n=405)
Q4.11. Has your company’s work-from-home policy changed over the past 5 years? (n=937)
Company’s work-from-home policy
has changed in the past 5 years

28. Remote work is expected to become more common
28
Q4.1. Do you have any team members who conduct a significant portion of their work from a remote location? (n=974)
Q4.2. What percentage of your overall team would you estimate work remotely at least half of the time today? (n=939)
Q4.3. What percentage of your overall team would you estimate will work remotely at least half of the time in 10 years? (n=939)
5X
as many hiring managers
expect more of their team
to work remotely in 10
years than expect less
55%
of hiring managers agree remote
work is becoming more common as
compared to three years ago

29. Skills are viewed as more important than location
29
Q2.23. Which of the following is more important for a new hire? (n=1003)
Q4.8. For the following descriptors, which type of workers tend to… (n=998)
as many hiring managers say that being the most skilled
person for the job is more important than being able to
work from the same location as the rest of the team.
2x

30. Hiring managers at
organizations that currently
have remote workers are
more likely to think hiring has
become easier in the past
year
Companies with remote teams are more likely to think
hiring has become easier in the past year
30Q2.10. In your opinion, how hard has hiring for the following roles been this past year compared to prior years? (n=958)
61%
Hiring managers at
organizations that support a
work-from-home policy are
more likely to think hiring has
become easier in the past
year
52%

31. 31
Freelancer usage is accelerating

32. The freelance job market is changing, majority of
organizations are increasing their use of freelancers
32
Q2.19. (If had freelancers in 2017) In your opinion, how has the usage of freelancers within your organization changed in the past 3 years? (n=406)
Q2.20. Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about the freelance job market compared to 3 years ago. (n=1002)
79%
of those who use freelancers say the usage of
those freelancers has changed in the past 3 years

33. Nearly half of hiring managers are using freelancers
33
Q2.5. Within your department, how many of the following types of workers do you have currently? How many do you expect to have in 2018? (n=861)
Q3.1. Do you plan to increase your usage of freelancers in the next 10 years? (n=689)
48%
of hiring managers are
currently utilizing freelancers
The percentage of
departments that currently
utilize freelancers is up
compared to last year
43%(Up 14 Points)

34. And they expect to use more in 2018
34
Q2.5. Within your department, how many of the following types of workers do you have currently? How many do you expect to have in 2018? (n=416)
Q2.13. What is the primary reason you will be using more freelancers in 2018? (n=204)
Q2.14. What is the primary reason you will be using fewer freelancers in 2018? (n=254)
4x
as many hiring managers
expect their usage of
freelancers to increase in
2018 than expect their
usage to decrease
as many hiring managers
expect their usage of
freelancers to increase in
2018 than expect their
usage to decrease
4x

35. 90 percent of companies are open to hiring freelancers
rather than working with a staffing firm
35Q2.26. Which of the following are reasons you may hire a freelancer instead of hiring a temporary employee through a staffing agency? (n=1005)
9 in 10
hiring managers are open to
hiring freelancers rather
than temporary employees
through a staffing firm

36. The majority use freelancers for specialized work
36Q2.17. (If have hired/will hire freelancers in 2017 or 2018) Which of the following is true about the freelancers you most typically use? (n=225)

37. Freelancers are largely used across multiple projects
37
Q2.18. (If have hired/will hire freelancers in 2017 or 2018) How do you most typically work with freelancers? (n=223)

38. Freelancers are helping companies get more work done
38Q2.25. If you had not been able to find a freelancer to hire for your most recent project, which of the following would have likely occurred? (n=1003)
84%of teams would either
delay, cancel or extend
project workloads

39. 39
The Future Workforce

40. By 2027...
40
56%
of all organizations
will have increased
utilization of
freelancers
74%
of organizations that
currently have
freelancers will have
increased their
utilization
3xMore agree than disagree
Offices will serve as temporary
anchor points rather than daily travel
destinations
38% of full-time/permanent employees
will work predominantly remotely
Dynamic and agile team structures
will become the norm 6xMore agree than disagree
Q3.1. Do you plan to increase your usage of freelancers in the next 10 years? (n=689)
Q3.4. Please rate your agreement with each of the following statements about how workforce models will change in the next 10 years. (n=1002)
Q4.3. What percentage of your overall team would you estimate will work remotely at least half of the time in 10 years? (n=939)

41. 41
Profile of respondents

42. Respondents Represent Companies of all Sizes
42
Q1.1. Which of the following best represents your company’s total revenue for calendar year 2017? (n=890)
Q1.2. Which of the following best represents your company’s size? (n=1000)

43. Respondents Come From a Variety of Industries Across the
Country
43
Q1.4. Which of the following best describes your organization’s primary industry? (n=1005)
Q6.2. Please enter the five-digit zip code that corresponds to your primary place of employment. (n=995)
Note: Only ten most common industries are shown

44. Respondents Represent a Variety of Job Functions
44
Q1.3. What best describes your role in the company? (n=1005)
Q1.5. Which of the following functional areas do you currently work in? (n=1005)

45. Respondents Represent a Variety of Demographics
45
High School
or Equivalent
15%
2-Year
Degree
15%
Bachelor’s Degree
45%
Master's
Degree or
Higher
25%
Q6.1. What is your current age? (n=920)
Q6.3. Which of the following best describes your gender? (n=1000)
Q6.4. Which of the following best describes the highest level of education you’ve had the opportunity to complete? (n=1005)

46. 46
Appendix

47. About this Study
This study commissioned by: Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest freelancing website. As an increasingly
connected and independent workforce goes online, knowledge work —like
software, shopping and content before it— is shifting online as well. This shift
is making it easier for clients to connect and work with talent in near
real-time and is freeing professionals everywhere from having to work at a set
time and place. Freelancers are earning more than $1 billion annually via
Upwork. Upwork is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with offices in San
Francisco and Oslo, Norway.
This study conducted by: Inavero
Inavero is a global leader in human capital management research. The firm
powers satisfaction and thought leadership studies for hundreds of top firms
within the space and leverages more than 300,000 survey responses annually
to provide insight into the millions who work in the gig economy and the
companies who hire them.
47

48. © Copyright 2018 Inavero, Inc. All Rights Reserved.