The new breed of Filipino freelancers only went full-time due to the pandemic but 42.9 percent of them now serve overseas clients.

This was according to the most recent webinar held by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Payoneer Philippines.

Some 1.5 million Filipinos are now registered in international online platforms for freelancing services.

This is not surprising since Payoneer and GCash’s study, the Philippines Freelance Market 2022 Report, revealed that freelancers who serve both local and international clients earn 57 percent more per hour than those who just work with local clients.

On the other hand, DICT’s Philippine Online Freelancing Industry Study, showed that 43.4 percent of Filipino freelancers have only been in the freelancing industry for less than a year, while 26 percent have only been part of the gig economy for 1-2 years.

However, despite being new in the industry, these freelancers are not just exploring the local landscape but the international scene as well.

“The emergence of the gig economy has resulted in changes in the current workforce," Payoneer Regional Vice President of South East Asia Miguel Warren noted during the webinar.

"With greater work-life balance and independence, freelancers were able to work with a diverse range of clients both locally and internationally,” he pointed out.

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The DICT study found that 58.78 percent

of Filipino freelancers were skilled as virtual assistants.

About 43 percent of the respondents claim to have social media marketing skills and 34.8 percent of them claim to be knowledgeable on content creation.

Digital marketing, web research, customer service and tech, as well as, web development and design, online teaching and tutoring, and project management were also among the skill sets mentioned by respondents.

Nurturing skillsets has also been made easy with the wealth of information available online.

In fact, 83 percent of Filipino freelancers self-study to improve their skills by enrolling in free online courses.

Aside from a variety of educational opportunities online, there’s also plenty of job resources to choose from such as onlinejobs.ph, indeed, guru, truelancer, craigslist, flexjobs, and upwork.

As freelancing thrives on variety, especially among clientele, transactions can get a bit tricky.

“Payments haven't always kept up as the world has become more digitally connected. There are numerous obstacles to overcome. Payoneer offers flexibility and accessibility with cross-border payments, making it easier for freelancers to be paid.” Warren noted.

When asked about the major advantages of freelancing, respondents have the following on top of the list: financial stability, more family time, personal and professional growth, flexibility, and source of additional income.

Given the benefits of freelancing, many Filipinos now prefer this flexible livelihood option that suits their lifestyles better than traditional employment.

“With the pandemic, doing freelance work is now more acceptable and open. Many people realized that they can provide their families with their needs, as much as a traditional job but even better,” said freelancer Vanya Tantoco, who is also the CEO and Founder of Z Studios Digital Marketing Agency.