Rectech: The Recruiting Technology Podcast

Freelance workers may soon be able to find their next gigs through a new LinkedIn service that’s currently under development.  LinkedIn Marketplaces will enable users on the Microsoft-owned professional social networking platform to find, connect, hire, and pay freelancers all on the platform itself. LinkedIn spokeswoman Suzi Owens was quoted as saying that the platform has noticed a rise in people searching and requesting services from others during the pandemic. “In the future we'll be building new ways to share more about the services you [could] offer directly through your LinkedIn profile,” Owens told The Information.  LinkedIn’s move isn’t surprising since it is reported that Upwork and Fiverr, the two behemoths in the freelance marketplace field, together generated about $550 million in revenue last year. With over 700 million professionals already on its network, it stands to reason that LinkedIn wants to have a share of the pie as well.  However, what apparently sets Marketplaces apart from the e