The Blogs: Covid-19 & freelancing: 4 areas with huge gig potential

Living with uncertainty has been one of the hardest parts of this coronavirus crisis. Once, it was mundane and predictable to get up every morning, go to the same job, and earn the same paycheck to do the same thing. Now, we yearn for it.

If there’s a group that understands what it’s like to live with work uncertainty, it’s freelancers. Our income is inconsistent. Projects we count on sometimes fall through. Not knowing what the next month will bring is pretty standard for us. So as we ‘self-isolate’ (aka: work from home as usual), we’re doing what we always do to deal with gig uncertainty – look for new opportunities.

The terrible impact of Covid-19 on the economy is undeniable. But amid the wreckage, new business trends are emerging. Here are 4 examples of industries that are currently thriving and setting the stage for an explosion of gig opportunities for freelancers post-pandemic.

Data-driven healthcare

As the general public is more preoccupied with their health, testing for Covid-19 is on the rise – by government funded institutions and private companies. The result of all this testing will be a huge increase in healthcare data. This is a golden opportunity for data and AI focused health tech companies to develop solutions that can reduce the spread of viruses and give us all peace of mind.

Examples of companies that are already doing this:

Top health tech companies in Israel:

Potential freelance gigs in this industry:

UX writing and design
Marcom writing and production (Materials for trade shows and conferences)
White paper research and writing
Academic / subject matter expert article writing
Website and blog post writing
Translation

Ecommerce

Due to social distancing and lockdowns in many countries, shoppers who would normally make their purchases in brick-and-mortar stores are shopping online. Ecommerce is on the rise, especially in the sanitary products, home appliances and packaged food categories.

As many countries are taking a slow and cautious approach to easing restrictions on social interaction, the upward trend of ecommerce could be here to stay.

Examples of ecommerce companies that are innovating in the time of Covid-19:

Top Israeli ecommerce companies:

Possible freelance gigs in this industry:

Website and blog post writing
Online store building
Product description writing
Copywriting
White paper writing
Social media ads writing and management
Product review writing
Translation

Online education

If you’re a parent like me, you’ve had experience with online homeschooling during this pandemic. You may have noticed that the system needs a few enhancements, to say the least.

As it becomes clear that Covid-19 isn’t leaving so fast, schools, colleges and universities need to be prepared for future lockdowns. Investing in a solid education platform will be at the top of their priority list.

Examples of Edtech companies that are thriving in the time of Covid-19:

Education platform Udacity signed up more students in one of March 2020 than it had in the second half of 2019
BibliU Raises $10 Million to Scale Online Textbooks

Top Israeli Edtech companies:

Potential freelance gigs in this industry:

Lesson plan writing
Test and quiz writing
Lecture writing
Curriculum writing
Website and blog post writing
Video animation and editing
Video voice over
Lecture transcription
Translation

Remote work tools and platforms

This pandemic forced many companies to move to a 100% remote working model. As we re-emerge from isolation, it’s likely that many companies will continue working in this model, at least partially. Many companies are being pleasantly surprised by the increased productivity and employee satisfaction that working from home can bring. As as result, the market for digital collaboration tools like Zoom, and Google Hangouts is likely to boom.

Examples of remote work technologies that are thriving in the time of Covid-19:

Top Israeli companies in the remote work management space:

Potential freelance gigs: