To be a freelancer and remain on the market, in these times of recession, one must turn oneself into a startup. So, in the digital age, the possibilities for funding via online platforms are multiplying. The millenials know this well, the generation that was born between the 1980’s and 2000, because they were born with the Web. In fact, 83% maintain that being a freelancer and working in an independent way is a fundamental strategy for one’s career. 94% seek out online job websites and 40% integrate their normal job searches with social media. This data is from a study by Elance, a digital platform that offers employment opportunities for freelancers, conducted on a sample of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 34.
Elance works like Twago, or Freelancer, other platforms that put freelancers and those who are offering work in contact via Internet. It is a segment of the market that even the Italian startup Addlance has jumped into.
The majority of platforms allow freelancers to register and create their profile with their competencies. At the same time, employers provide projects with a description and a budget. And then an auction for the lowest bid is begun, and the freelancer who offers the lowest price gets the job.
This is the digital arena, where workers from all over the world, from India to Europe and the U.S., meet. The platform earns money with commissions on the projects accepted and they also guarantee payment terms, which must usually occur upon consignment of work. Credits, in particular, must occur directly on users debit cards.
“Millenials must begin their professions in a historic period of recession”, emphasized an economic analysis by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers. And for this reason they are an important indicator, because they look for alternative access to credit, for financing, grants and fellowships to dedicate to their professional path as independent workers. Just as startups do. At this point, even six months of work, for example, can be guaranteed by funding or crowdfunding, according to freelancer’s strategies. The fact that this is valid for other age groups is also indicative: 57% of freelancers declared they have increased their business online, according to The State of the Freelance Market (2012) study.
Within this scenario, significant information on Italy has been registered by the European journalism fund at journalismfund.eu. Data has revealed the latest requests for financing in September, but the trend has continued since 2009. It has been made graphic with maps how Italy asks for the most funding for journalistic projects(73), followed by Germany (49), France (31), and the UK (20). It is also the country that received the most grants: Italy (16), Germany (11), France (10), and UK (3).
Lastly, the search by freelancers for funding solutions and platforms for online work in Italy must also take into account the 274,690 new VAT numbers that have been registered for individuals from January to August 2014 according to data from theOsservatorio sulle partite Iva. The total for 2013 was 390,210. Of these, 65,437 new VAT registrations were particularly for professional, scientific, and technological activities, and another 10,222 for information and communication services. The freelancers.
