Corporate versus Freelance: Details
This additional analysis breaks out freelance careerists and students/hobbyists, and partners and employees. It reveals some interesting tidbits.
Corporates in posession of needed skill
| Markup, e.g., HTML, XHTML, XML | 97.6% |
|---|---|
| CSS coding | 96.6% |
| Page layout, interface design | 93.4% |
| Image editing and production | 91.9% |
| Back-end development, e.g., PHP, Ruby on Rails, ASP | 91.3% |
| Graphic design | 88.6% |
| Front-end programming, e.g., JavaScript | 87.5% |
| Information architecture, wireframing, sitemapping | 86.6% |
| Usability testing/knowledge | 83.0% |
| Project management | 80.3% |
| Writing, editing | 78.7% |
| Accessibility testing/knowledge | 77.0% |
| Findability/search engine optimization/search engine marketing | 69.9% |
| Other | 57.5% |
With regard to interface design, markup, and CSS coding skills, over 90% of corporates who need these skills have them. The notable skill gap areas for the corporates are the same as for freelancers (though the gap is not as bad): findability/search engine optimization (69.9% of those who need it have it), and accessibility testing (77.0% of those who need it have it).
Freelancers in posession of needed skill
| Markup, e.g., HTML, XHTML, XML | 95.8% |
|---|---|
| CSS coding | 95.0% |
| Page layout, interface design | 91.4% |
| Image editing and production | 87.0% |
| Back-end development, e.g., PHP, Ruby on Rails, ASP | 82.1% |
| Graphic design | 81.8% |
| Information architecture, wireframing, sitemapping | 78.9% |
| Project management | 74.7% |
| Writing, editing | 74.1% |
| Usability testing/knowledge | 74.0% |
| Front-end programming, e.g., JavaScript | 73.6% |
| Accessibility testing/knowledge | 66.7% |
| Findability/search engine optimization/search engine marketing | 60.6% |
| Other | 48.0% |
With regard to interface design, markup, and CSS coding skills, over 90% of career freelancers who need these skills have them. The notable skill gaps for career freelancers are findability/search engine optimization (60.6% of those who need it have it), and accessibility testing (66.7% of those who need it have it).
Freelancers' clients
| Careerist | Student/ hobbyist/ volunteer | |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance contractor, mostly or exclusively with my own clients | 59.1% | 12.1% |
| Freelance contractor, mostly for the same company/organization | 20.7% | 4.0% |
| Self-employed head or partner in a consulting firm | 30.4% | 4.7% |
| Hobbyist | 7.6% | 55.8% |
| Full-time student | 9.7% | 43.4% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Approximately 60% of career freelancers contract independently with their own clients, and approximately 20% contract independently mostly for one client.
Longevity as a freelancer
| Less than a year | 11.3% |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 10.1% |
| 2 years | 15.0% |
| 3 years | 12.1% |
| 4 years | 9.2% |
| 5 years | 9.2% |
| 6 years | 5.9% |
| 7 years | 4.2% |
| 8 years | 4.7% |
| 9 years | 2.0% |
| 10 years (or more) | 13.0% |
| Not applicable | 3.4% |
Almost half (48.4%) of career freelancers have been working independently for three years or less, and 13% have been working independently for 10 years or more.
Freelancer hourly rates
| I do most of my web work as an independent contractor/freelancer or owner of my own small business. | I do most of my work as a student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role. | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $25 per hour | 12.4% | 52.3% | 18.6% |
| $25 - $49 per hour | 26.9% | 26.0% | 26.7% |
| $50 - $74 per hour | 27.0% | 12.0% | 24.7% |
| $75 - $99 per hour | 18.5% | 4.3% | 16.2% |
| $100 - $124 per hour | 8.9% | 2.6% | 7.9% |
| $125 - $149 per hour | 3.4% | 1.2% | 3.0% |
| $150 - $174 per hour | 1.5% | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| $175 - $199 per hour | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| $200 - $224 per hour | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| $225 - $249 per hour | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| $250 or more per hour | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Two thirds (66.2%) of career freelancers charge less than $75 per hour for their services, and 84.7% charge less than $100.
Freelancer change in rates
| I do most of my web work as an independent contractor/freelancer or owner of my own small business. | I do most of my work as a student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role. | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm charging higher rates than last year. | 47.7% | 19.2% | 41.6% |
| I'm charging approximately or exactly the same rates as I charged last year. | 39.4% | 22.5% | 35.8% |
| I'm charging lower rates than last year. | 2.7% | 1.6% | 2.5% |
| Not applicable. | 10.2% | 56.6% | 20.1% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Almost half (47.7%) of career freelancers are charging more than last year.
How freelancers find work
| I do most of my web work as an independent contractor/freelancer or owner of my own small business. | I do most of my work as a student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role. | |
|---|---|---|
| Word of mouth, referrals from existing clients. | 92.8% | 73.7% |
| They contact me via my website. | 47.8% | 35.0% |
| Networking via professional associations and groups. | 33.4% | 13.5% |
| Clients e-mail me out of the blue; I'm not sure how some of them hear about me. | 24.2% | 16.1% |
| Networking via social institutions, groups, and associations. | 23.9% | 20.9% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Over 90% of career freelancers get business through word of mouth. No other business development practice (web site, networking, etc.) produces work for more than half the respondents.
How freelancers manage health care
| I do most of my web work as an independent contractor/freelancer or owner of my own small business. | I do most of my work as a student, hobbyist, volunteer, or other uncompensated role. | |
|---|---|---|
| I have health coverage through an employer. | 15.5% | 22.9% |
| I have health coverage through a relative or spouse. | 15.4% | 17.0% |
| I have health coverage through a professional organization. | 5.8% | 2.6% |
| I have health coverage through a nationalized system. | 27.7% | 28.7% |
| I have health coverage through other means. | 20.5% | 14.0% |
| I do not have health coverage. | 22.0% | 18.0% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Although career freelancers are able to get health insurance through a number of means, 22% of them do not have health insurance.
Profit versus non-profit
| Partner in a large company or organization. | 91.7% |
8.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Partner in a small business. | 98.2% |
1.8% |
| Employee of a company, university, library, museum, nonprofit, or other organization. | 79.1% |
20.9% |
| Overall | 81.6% |
18.4% |
| For-profit | Non-profit |
Of employees, 20.9% work for nonprofit organizations.
How corporates keep up
| Partner in large org | Partner in small business | Employee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read relevant websites/zines/blogs | 91.8% | 95.8% | 95.9% |
| Work with others at my company | 79.4% | 95.8% | 95.9% |
| Trial-and-error | 75.3% | 80.7% | 81.4% |
| Read books | 71.6% | 73.0% | 72.1% |
| Attend seminars and conferences | 40.6% | 36.6% | 49.2% |
| Participate in discussion boards | 40.9% | 45.9% | 39.1% |
| In-house training | 44.6% | 35.9% | 33.9% |
| Participate in mailing lists | 28.2% | 30.4% | 30.1% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Although corporates are more likely than freelancers to get formal training, less than half (49.2%) of the employees (not including the partners) attend seminars or conferences, and approximately one third (33.9%) receive in-house training.
Where corporates work
| Partner in large org | Partner in small business | Employee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer's office | 84.8% | 34.1% | 93.1% |
| At home | 42.0% | 59.9% | 44.1% |
| Own office | 10.1% | 41.9% | 4.1% |
| Borrowed space on client's premises | 5.2% | 4.3% | 2.3% |
| Shared office space with other freelancers | 4.0% | 6.2% | 1.3% |
| Other | 3.5% | 5.8% | 2.3% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Of corporates, 45.9% work at home, including almost 60% of partners in small firms.
Corporate perks
| Partner in large org | Partner in small business | Employee | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health insurance | 66.0% | 36.6% | 66.8% | 63.2% |
| Flex time | 50.5% | 48.3% | 47.3% | 47.5% |
| Conferences, seminars | 42.0% | 31.0% | 44.7% | 43.0% |
| 401K or other investment plan | 39.2% | 13.8% | 42.4% | 38.8% |
| Life insurance | 46.9% | 16.0% | 41.4% | 38.5% |
| Bonus | 47.0% | 33.3% | 38.3% | 37.9% |
| Professional training on the job | 38.3% | 20.5% | 34.1% | 32.6% |
| Professional development | 36.9% | 24.5% | 32.8% | 31.9% |
| Disability insurance | 35.5% | 12.5% | 31.8% | 29.6% |
| Flexible medical spending | 32.9% | 9.4% | 30.5% | 28.0% |
| Comp time | 24.4% | 20.8% | 23.4% | 23.1% |
| Tuition reimbursement | 22.1% | 5.8% | 24.2% | 21.9% |
| Pension plan | 27.4% | 9.3% | 23.5% | 21.9% |
| Video training, software training | 25.6% | 11.1% | 19.4% | 18.6% |
| Profit sharing | 20.9% | 36.4% | 13.2% | 16.2% |
| Overtime pay | 14.8% | 7.6% | 13.3% | 12.6% |
| Stock options plan | 18.8% | 8.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Stock purchase plan | 17.6% | 4.5% | 8.0% | 7.9% |
| Other | 6.6% | 8.6% | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Not applicable | 4.7% | 20.5% | 4.0% | 6.0% |
| Child care | 8.0% | 2.3% | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Union membership | 4.4% | 1.4% | 4.3% | 3.9% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
On employment benefits, health insurance is the only one in the checklist in the survey that more than half the respondents get.
Corporate health care
| Partner in large org | Partner in small business | Employee | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I have health coverage through an employer. | 64.6% | 34.2% | 63.3% | 59.8% |
| I have health coverage through a nationalized system. | 19.3% | 22.8% | 20.6% | 20.8% |
| I do not have health coverage. | 8.9% | 16.5% | 7.8% | 8.9% |
| I have health coverage through a relative or spouse. | 8.4% | 10.4% | 7.5% | 7.9% |
| I have health coverage through other means. | 4.7% | 16.4% | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| I have health coverage through a professional organization. | 7.5% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
Respondents were able to check more than one answer.
Only 8.9% of the corporates don't have health insurance, but that includes 16.5% of the partners in small firms.