Not since the Industrial Revolution have we experienced such rapid disruption of the way we work. In 2005, two entrepreneurs who wanted to work together (despite being half a world apart) created technology to instill visibility and trust in “virtual” work relationships. This technology became oDesk, and oDesk became the leader of a new market called “online work”— any work done on a computer and delivered via the Internet. Today, oDesk announced that it reached U.S.$1 billion of work done via its online workplace. A number in and of itself means nothing, but the millions of people feeling the positive impact of online work means everything. The simple truth underlying this landmark is that work is no longer a place. oDesk is proud to be the first online workplace to reach this landmark, while remaining true to our mission: creating freedom and opportunity for the world’s best businesses and best professionals to work together. For more information on this landmark and the rise of online work, we invite you to explore the materials below. If you’re considering hiring via oDesk, our new resource center (https://www.odesk.com/info/client-resource-center/) features tips and insights from people who have paved the way. And if you’re hiring or working on oDesk already, thank you for being part of this incredible community. We love the way we work!

1. IMPROVING ACCESS
TO SKILLS
FASTER HIRING 24-HOUR PRODUCTIVITY
A long tail of specialists
is growing on oDesk.
4 Million Freelancers
Listing 2,389 skills in the past year
With more than 2.6M tests taken as proof of these skills
90% of spend on oDesk
With teams in multiple time
zones, two-thirds (59%) of
online work happens outside
the client’s 9-to-5 hours.
ONLINE
OFFLINE
3
87
ONLINE WORK
HAS ARRIVED!
MORE THAN $1 BILLION
HAS BEEN SPENT ON WORK VIA ODESK
SPECIALIZED ROLES ARE ON THE RISE
40%
50%
55%
45%
60%
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Nonroutine
Occupations
Routine
Occupations
THE DECLINE OF INDUSTRIAL AGE WORK
Source: US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey
“If you literally have twice
as many productive working
hours in a 24-hour cycle as
your competitors, you can
get much further ahead than
they can in one day.”
The online workplace delivers:
The Rise of
the Online
Workplace
TECHNOLOGY TODAY BRINGS
WORK TO THE WORKER
64% of businesses
were looking for a
new way to hire
when they found
online work.
“talent shortages
are likely to affect
their bottom line in
the next 5 years.”
66% of multinational
companies say...
#OFJOBOPENINGS
SKILL RANK ON ODESK
4
CATEGORIES
35
CATEGORIES
(with 42 other categories
growing quickly)
VS
WHERE DOES WORK
GO FROM HERE?
Futurists describe the evolution of work
“We've passed into a new economic era, confronting business
and individuals with mounting challenges. Work marketplaces based
on social platforms—'placeforms'—fill a new societal need."
– Stowe Boyd
“Cloud computing is making it easier to start businesses anywhere.
Over the next decade the ‘rise of the rest’ will play a key role in creating jobs.”
– Steve Case
“Technology is transforming our relationship to assets and ownership.
Technology unlocks the idling capacity...”
– Rachel Botsman
"Millennials will be 75% of the workforce by 2025.
They see no need to be confined to a corporate office, view the future of work as virtual,
and want freedom and flexibility to work anywhere and anytime they please."
– Dan Schawbel
“It will become difficult to distinguish online workers from traditional employees.”
– Jeremiah Owyang
“Work is no longer a place. Future teams will be flexible and results-focused.
This creates more economic opportunity for both businesses that need to get more done,
and professionals who want to be untethered from a desk.”
– Gary Swart
“Where, how, when, and even why we work is changing rapidly.
Five generations—from digital natives to digital immigrants—are all in the same work
place, but with different expectations. Organizations must strategically invest in
human capital or face epic failure.”
– R. Ray Wang
Joshua Warren // Creatuity Corp.
ON ODESK ALONE
By 2018
online work is
projected to be
a $5B market
The $1B already spent on
oDesk makes it the largest
online workplace
3
Average days to hire
1
Brought to you by
FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE WWW.ODESK.COM/RISEOFONLINEWORK
Love the way you work.
June 2012 study by the Economist Intelligence Unit
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Staffing Industry Analysts
1
2
3
2
IN 2007 IN 2012