In an attempt to keep pace with other freelancing giants Elance and oDesk, Freelancer has purchased vWorker, the website which often is referred to as Rent A Coder, for an undisclosed amount of cash that’s estimated to be in the double or possibly triple digit millions. With this new conglomeration of freelancing platforms, the consensus believes that other smaller platforms will become enveloped by remaining big name players to keep the contingency employment field interesting.
Boasting many jobs roughly $200 or less, the Freelancer platform generally attracts budget-conscious small businesses and other individuals seeking articles to be written, small proofreading jobs and other tasks which would normally cost thousands in-house. VWorker, currently based out of Tampa, Florida, already has deep programming roots firmly supplanted within the United States and this cooperative could even further put strain on Elance and oDesk to either expand, lower the price of their membership and transaction fees, or concede to the newly formed contingency employment dynasty.
Matt Barrie, the Australian entrepreneur and founder of the #412 ranked website in the world, has seemingly done in three years what many legislators have been attempting to pull off for about a decade: provide more jobs for American citizens and further opportunity for expansions around the world. Since 2004 alone, the company has completed nearly 4 million jobs for customers with an estimated retail value of $662 million dollars collectively. With this announcement, the already largest freelance writing employer in our galaxy is already poised to set the outsourcing standard for 2013 and beyond with this acquisition.
Freelancer.com already boasts over 20 marketplaces, 10 available languages and literally tens of millions of savvy viewers and buyers every month. Having an affordable outsourcing giant such as Freelancer.com further imbues the fact more people are experiencing the joys of freelancing around the world. They currently transact in 15 currencies while making work available to nearly every country worldwide since many currencies convert to local denominations.
With over 600 dynamic skill categories, skills tests to increase the potency of freelance workers and millions of jobs closing every year, look for Freelancer to really give other platforms the run for their money and ‘force their hand’, per se, in many facets of work outsourcing or potentially face closure.
