Between acquisition pressure and independence

The challenge of acquiring new projects is the biggest challenge for freelancers. At the same time, the financial situation or fluctuating income is identified as the biggest disadvantage for the majority of respondents.

To counteract this shortcoming, freelancers write around eight offers before a contract is successfully concluded. However, freelancers see their own independence as their greatest advantage. This was also confirmed by the Freelancer Compass 2017 market study.

Disadvantaged female IT experts

It should be no secret that the IT sector is a male domain. According to the Freelancer Compass 2017, just one in ten freelancers is female. Yet female IT experts are 46 years old on average, almost three years younger than their male colleagues.

There are also significant differences in pay: While men earn an average of 87.64 euros per hour, women are paid 84.62 euros. With a working week of 47.15 hours, this results in an income difference of almost 600 euros per month.

Short projects are becoming increasingly rare: one in five freelancers now works for a company for at least six months and a maximum of a year.

Freelancers for one night: not available

The exception is freelancers who have worked for the same client for more than five years - around three percent of contractors have been employed for this length of time. According to the Freelancer Compass 2017, large companies with more than 5,000 employees in particular rely on flexible IT experts.

The greater financial strength is also reflected in the hourly wage, which now averages 87.36 euros. This represents an increase of almost five euros compared to the previous year.

More than half of all freelancers recorded a gross turnover of over 100,000 euros last year, while seven percent of those surveyed generated a gross profit of more than 125,000 euros in 2016.

Thomas Maas, CEO of Freelancermap and initiator of the Freelancer Compass 2017, states:

"The market study shows that freelancers who are 'employed' as consultants, project managers or project staff are becoming increasingly attractive to companies.

Valuable know-how from outside is becoming a competitive advantage for them. At the same time, we are seeing a continuous annual increase in freelancer registrations of up to 15 percent. Interest in freelancer employment is on the rise and this trend will continue in the coming years."