{{Short description|Online freelance work}} '''E-lancing''', also known as '''e-labour''',<ref name="economist" /> is the practice of taking freelancing work through online job offers. E-lancing websites or platforms operate as hubs where employers place tasks, which freelancers from around the world bid for. Some e-lancing websites act as intermediaries for payment, paying the freelancer directly after work is completed, to mitigate the risk of non-payment.<ref name="economist"> The Economist Newspaper Ltd, 2010. "Work in the digital age: a clouded future". ''The Economist'', Volume 395, Number 8682, May 15th-21st 2010. Roto Smeets, Weert (Netherlands).</ref> Employers posting work on these websites set the price they are willing to pay for the task proposed.
==History== In 2012, 1.56 million people were freelancers in the United Kingdom, a rise of 11.9% since 2008.<ref>Holdt, Keith {{cite web|title=The rise of e-lancing in the workplace|url=http://www.growthbusiness.co.uk/growing-a-business/human-resources/2135983/the-rise-of-elancing-in-the-workplace.thtml|accessdate=23 October 2014|website=Growthbusiness|date=5 December 2012}}</ref> Sebastian Trenner of the World Bank wrote in 2012 that online marketplaces were unlikely to produce a significant decrease in skilled unemployment.<ref name="can">Trenner, Sebastian {{cite web|title=Could e-lancing provide a temporary cure for skilled unemployment in the region?|url=http://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/could-e-lancing-provide-temporary-cure-skilled-unemployment-region|accessdate=24 October 2014|date=10 October 2012|website=The World Bank}}</ref> Conversely, Karsten Geis of Empirica Capital wrote in 2014 that e-lancing would be a primary employer of the future, and that normal jobs will tend to disappear.<ref>Gareis, Karsten {{cite web|title=eLancing–The Future of Work?|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228608164|accessdate=23 October 2014|website=ResearchGate|date=24 September 2014}}</ref>
Notable e-lancing websites include Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Guru.com, PeoplePerHour, and Upwork.
==See also== * Freelancer * Gig worker * Online marketplace * Online outsourcing
==References== <references/>
* Category:Outsourcing Category:Web 2.0 neologisms