In 2020, professionals found themselves impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic, which caused lockdowns and forced many employees to work entirely remotely. Therefore, many professionals and businesses turned to the freelancing mode of work.

What motivates MENA professionals to take up freelance work? Why is it becoming more preferable? Are companies outsourcing work to freelancers? What are the top skills freelancers must have? Bayt.com has conducted a new survey titled “Freelancing in the MENA” to gather opinions from the increasing number of skilled workers who are jumping on the freelance bandwagon.

Key Findings:

• Earning extra income (55%) and learning new skills (24%) are the top motivations to take up freelance work among the region’s workforce.
• About 9 in 10 professionals (88%) will freelance in 2021.
• According to the respondents, the top skills freelancers must have: time management (43%), communication skills (21%), and the ability to market themselves (19%).
• Online job sites and professional platforms (72%) are the most popular tool among freelancers.
• A whopping 60% of respondents strongly agree and 20% somewhat agree that the demand for freelancers has increased in the past year.

Data for the 2021 Freelancing in the MENA survey was collected online from December 20, 2020 to February 15, 2021. Results are based on a sample of 4,296 respondents from countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among others.