Mobile and Translation Skills Top oDesk Employment Report

In 2010, Online Employment Surges While Local Hiring Stagnates

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwire - January 4, 2011) - oDesk, the largest and fastest-growing global employment platform, today announced findings from the December "Online Employment Report," a monthly analysis on the state of the online workforce, including in-demand skills, growth in jobs and upcoming workforce trends. According to the report, demand for online work held steady in December, maintaining 103% growth year-over-year and outstripping slow hiring seen in local jobs. Over the past year, through oDesk, online workers have earned more than $115M, an amount which is expected to double in 2011. Based on a sample of nearly 60,000 postings for online jobs, there has been ongoing interest from employers in hiring for mobile development, and a new emphasis on translation. The top skills requested in December included increases in the number of employers looking for iPhone application development and language expertise.

The key findings from the December "Online Employment Report" show:

2011 Planning a Top Priority: 123% increase occurred in hiring for business planning and market strategy professionals over 2009
Record Spend for Online Work: More than $13M was spent on online work in December alone
Going Global: Translation jobs were up 319% in 2010, highlighting businesses' increasing interest in international transactions. Primary languages were Spanish, German and Korean
"The growth in the number and variety of online job opportunities has been driven by businesses' needs for flexibility, on-call expertise and access to a wide range of skills," said Gary Swart, oDesk CEO. "Online jobs are giving workers a viable way to find employment, enhance their skills and grow their own businesses -- and in-demand skills like translation and mobile development can be the cornerstone of a successful contracting career."

For more information on the current trends in the on-demand workforce, please visit oDesk's "Online Employment Report."

About oDesk
With more than 905,000 contractors in more than 150 countries, oDesk (www.oDesk.com) is a global employment platform that enables companies to hire, manage, and pay a flexible, online workforce.

For employers: Guaranteed work -- every hour billed is an hour worked. Screen captures of each contractor's desktop taken at random intervals allow employers to audit the hours and the work completed, so they have confidence every hour billed by a remote team member is an hour worked. This capability also enables the employer to collaborate closely and re-direct the contractor if necessary, much like you do when you manage by walking around your office.

For contractors: Guaranteed payment -- every hour worked is an hour paid, without the hassle of invoicing or slow-paying clients, making oDesk the preferred platform for professional contractors, including software engineers, web developers, graphic designers, writers, researchers, administrators and customer service agents.

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