650,000 new jobs were posted at Elance.com this year where cumulative earnings will probably exceed $500 million by year end.

Elance surveyed small businesses and found that over four fifths of them plan to hire half their workers online in the next year! Global economies may be struggling, but online work is thriving.

What’s in demand and how did it change from last year?

• Software development skills such as HTML5 (+238%), Mobile (+137%), WordPress (+100%), Facebook (+66%) and Twitter (+47%)
• Creative skills like Graphic Design (+176%) and Content Writing (+72%)
• Marketing skills such as Internet Marketing (+132%), Marketing Communications (+53%) and Telemarketing (52%)
• Administrative skills, including Transcription (+114%), Administrative Support (+87%) and Data Entry (+69%)
• Consulting skills ranging from Product Manufacturing (+186%), Architectural Design (+185%), Financial Analysis (+140%), Legal (+86%) to Business Strategy (+76%)