Is that connects are incresed to 16 to 19 connect

[#1]

I have recently seem that my proposal are about to 19 connect is that true? 

[#2]

And what about talent they are rethinking to apply on job and actual talent don't meet client only boosted proposals and clients think not skill talent on Upwork and they close job 

[#3]

Ultimately, the decision to increase the number of connects required for applying to job posts is likely driven by a combination of factors, including improving the quality of proposals, managing the volume of applications, and maintaining the overall health of the Upwork marketplace. While it may present an additional cost for freelancers, it could also lead to a more balanced and efficient marketplace in the long run.

[#4]

Ultimately, this is not what is happening. The reason is that Upwork used to be an organic community, still a high percentage of it built by humans (not AI), and that is why the following is happening: no matter how many connects are imposed to be required to send a proposal, the quality of job posts dropped so much (they are not real or they are real but never result in hiring), so overall Upwork's health has very serious issues right now.

If Upwork is trying to sustain its health by injecting a higher dosage of its connect-vaccine it doesn't work. What is achieved is poisoning that "organism" further, which will eventually lead to its full self-extinction...

[#5]

And no surety for proposal seen, interview and might possible scammer as well

[#6]

Well ... very sad to see unexpected changes ... those days is not far when upwork will dying for customer .. unexpected changes in connect charges .. expensive connect .. now they increase 19 connect for a project .. well discussing here is like watching growing grass in my garden 

[#7]

I think they are doing this to get scammers out of Upwork

[#8]

The chosen method for this cleanup is not effective - scammers spend money until a client catches on them. Then they restore the spending and even accumulate some for future spending.

Vaguely translating a wisdom - it's like drilling the eye instead of just placing a makeup.

[#9]

the connect is so expensive ,and we have to spend more and more money to buy it for proposal. If platform has some principle for define connects number? or it's only been decided by clients?

[#10]

Clients generally do not know about conects and that freelancers spend money. Therefore, they do not bother and abandon the work without even reading the proposals.

[#11]

So the connects required to bid has again gone up? Intially it was either 16 or 8 connects and now it has gone up to 17 and 9 connects. Isn't this going a bit too fast, no intimation or emails or notifications

    

[#12]

Agreed. Connects are getting up and jobs are getting low

[#13]

The rising cost of Upwork's connects system is becoming increasingly burdensome for freelancers. The 150% increase means it now costs an average of 13 to 19 connects just to apply for a single job, which is unsustainable.

Upwork seems focused solely on its own profits. It demands that struggling freelancers purchase expensive connects, then charges high commissions and fees on top of that. Freelancers who are actively seeking work often lack the funds to keep up, and Upwork's pricing model creates a significant barrier to their success.

[#14]

Yes , its insane .... 19 connects to apply 

[#15]

It seems like Upwork is aiming to build a community of experienced professionals only and may be prioritizing their growth over newcomers.

This shift would purposefully make it challenging for newcomers to establish themselves and make them quit.

Additionally, they seem to be concentrating more on catering to larger enterprises rather than smaller projects.

That could explain some things..

[#16]

How is this possible though is the quality of the jobs are still low? Experienced professionals are not going to hang around if they can't get good quality work. I would wager that a large majority of jobs that are posted on Upwork go unfulfilled just due to the fact that the employer doesn't even return to the platform to check the proposals. 

[#17]

Yeah observe that too

[#18]

There is great imbalance in many things going on in UW (it's more DownWork for a long time) right now. First, management being disconnected from logic and incapable of projecting their chaotic actions into the future, to find what consequences they may have. They believe having gazillion of unskilled wannabes paying them money for connects is going to sustain the platform. In a short run, couple of months, perhaps. In a long run, reputation is more important since you can lose it with a blink of the eye and regaining it takes time. UW already lost its reputation as a professional platform but they don't show any incentive to regain it. Hysterical moves like upping connects amount, raising fees here and there, manipulating the numbers, opening gates to everyone and their mom, going silent on fraud and scam reports, catering to AI nonsense, all of this only gets them deeper in the mud but they don't seem to be capable of any mental effort to alleviate the damage they already did to the community and themselves.
Real clients, in real need of real freelancers, are fleeing because quality is not something appreciated here. Quality costs and real clients know it, but they are being bombarded with irrelevant spam from kids so they (clients) simply don't see this platform feasible anymore and choose to leave this mental desert. Low quality, low effort, artificial nonsense literally killed good name of the platform and removed any chance to raise it to any standards. But then again, today world has no standards other than training monkeys to consume more nonsense so that rich monkeys can eat more bananas, so I have no faith anything changes.

[#19]

In any case, the idea of hitting the jackpot here and now was correct. Moreover, it works for 2 years. I assumed it would fall apart within a year.

Yes, the reputation is destroyed, there are no prospects, but huge amounts of money continue to flow into their pockets.

[#20]

Some people will say Upwork increases the connects to reduce applications on jobs but this isn't true .... If anything anytime there's an increase in amount of connects for application, the number of people applying even gets much more .... The only goal of the increase is for profit which isn't bad...

What is bad is that most Clients post one thing and mean another or in simpler terms, most jobs aren't clear from the post itself and need further discussion with the client, now to even ask a question you must spend connects and IF the client does reply you and you figure out you can't do the job, you get nothing back, no benefits for even trying to know their need .. Upwork used to give back connects for interviews which they no longer do .... The way the system is currently set up isn't proper..  bring back refund of connects on interview and also stop allowing new freelancer profiles on Upwork if you really want to reduce applications on jobs. We all know even if you make it 100 connects to apply, people will still apply, because most people work full time on Upwork, there's no excuse for increasing prices other than money .

[#21]

If you talk to freelancers, or even read through the forum you will find experienced freelancers, some who have made considerable amounts of money, are leaving or have left Upwork. Once Upwork removed all category and platform limits and tests, the platform became flooded, and the handwriting was on the wall.

Upwork wants freelancers to be employees, but without the benefits or taxes, etc. Only with millions of freelancers throwing connects at any job, and boosting like mad, does Upwork have an income.

Actually, in some ways, people feel the newcomers are given an advantage.

Upwork is the one who has the advantage.

[#22]

Agree, I have seen that as well. Upwork isn't going to change things, except to increase the number of connects to apply for projects in the next 2 to 4 weeks. 

[#23]

In UX/UI design category there are boosted bids of 150-180 connects in the massacre for the top 3 positions. 17-19 connects are nothing. Whether 16 or 19, your proposal will most probably stay unnoticed unless you spend 50+ tokens.

Job posts (not actual jobs, just job posts!!!) that seem elite and promising receive bids with hundreds of connects, usually starting from 50! 

The increase is not the worst thing to happen though. It is the flood of fixed-price $5 job posts, $3-per-hour jobs (I guess people hiring themselves to write reviews for themselves) and the lack of serious, normal, intelligent, ethical clients with serious and normal job offers. 

I will not leave. I will sit and watch the endgame because I think this is all about real people, not legal entities or agencies, just people -  freelancers - who will eventually react and show the real power of Connect-ivity 🙂 

[#24]

One lowballer in my feed is recognizable: he writes in the same style and puts a signature. So all his works cost 3-5 dollars. A ten would be enough for him to cheat. Alas, this is not a fake review, this is current Upwork reality.

[#25]

Upwork have to send email if they are changing connects amount...why didn't have any official announcement?

[#26]

And after 4 first bid if client doesn't interact with us then why there are no refund of connects?

Upwork already return in boost proposal section