Professional writers were supposed to be among the first and biggest casualties of the advancement in artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, the demand for good writers is increasing, at least according to one report.
During the second quarter of 2023, there was a “surge in freelance creative writing jobs,” according to Freelancer.com, which bills itself as the world’s largest freelancing marketplace.
An analysis of more than 280,000 freelance job postings between April and June 2023 found that listings for creative writing positions jumped 58{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} during the quarter. Journalists and editors are in especially high demand.
The demand for other types of writing also rose by much as 22.8{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} for ghostwriting and 31.2{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} for copy typing. (Freelancer.com defines the latter as typing documents, letters or other materials based on a draft copy and then proofreading them.)
In a summary of the findings, Matt Barrie, chief executive at Freelancer.com, says:
“AI can’t replace creativity yet. While workers and businesses are benefiting from productivity gains offered by generative AI, the data suggests that the technology in its current form isn’t able to replace creative work. We saw a similar trend occur in the first quarter of the year, as creative design jobs were flourishing despite interest for generative AI tripling.”
Writers are not the only freelancers who are hot prospects right now. During the second quarter, freelance jobs for user interface design increased by more than 50{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} as well.
Freelancer.com notes that other jobs that are supposed to be at risk of replacement from AI also saw more openings in the second quarter, including data processing (up 21{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa}) and projects requiring Excel skills (up 15{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa}).
The news wasn’t great for all workers, however. Employers have less interest in hiring freelancers for positions that require niche tech skills. During the second quarter, demand fell for the following skills:
- Software development (down 28{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa})
- API (down 26{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa})
- iOS development (down 26{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa})
- Microsoft SQL Server (down 25{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa})
Are you looking for a side hustle or contract gig? Check out “10 Keys to a Successful Freelance Career.”