Mobile drives online freelance employment, Elance finds

Demand for specific mobile technology skills has been steadily climbing as businesses look for developers who can write for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry applications, according to job information released earlier this month from Elance, an online jobsite that connects businesses with freelancers.
Job categories experiencing the fastest growth online are marketing, IT and creative services, and the biggest demand for specific skill sets include cloud computing, mobile marketing and online marketing. Google Inc.’s Android App Engine skill, which climbed into the top 50 skill sets in the first quarter of the year, showed a 10 times increase in demand quarter to quarter, to reach spot No. 37, to become the cloud platform highest in demand in the second quarter.
“Frustrated by the traditional on-site staffing model, businesses are embracing virtual and hybrid work structures which allow them to tap into highly skilled online teams on a flexible basis. Talented workers with hot skills such as Google App Engine development, HTML5, SEO and social media marketing are experiencing unprecedented demand for their expertise and can find steady work and growing incomes,” said Ellen Pack, VP of Marketing at Elance.
Demand for skilled Apple Inc. iPad developers increased 200% in demand, to hit the No. 16 spot on the IT skills chart. Meanwhile, the iPhone skill set is now at the No. 8 position, while Android is at No. 25 and Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry app skill set jumped to the No. 36 spot.