anyone noticing less job offers or more lowball offers?

[readyornet]

Maybe it's just me and the work I do on Upwork, but in the last month, I've noticed less opportunities than before in the categories that I have chosen as my search criteria to find new work.  If everyone else is noticing this, then it's my warning sign to hunker down, save money and survive until better times.  The economy is poop and if it's reflecting work opportunities in Upwork....we might be in a bit of trouble.

Also, I've notice more lowball opportunities.  These aren't the ones I go for at all, but I do skip by them as I search for work and I am noticing A LOT more $3-$5/hr jobs.  I hadn't seen these levels since maybe 2016-ish.

How are the opportunities looking like for everyone else?

[readyornet]

.

[796a95d8]

I constantly see offers for $3-$5 range. People are targetting international freelancers where the dollar is worth far more than what it is in western countries. It's frustrating and dehumanizing to everyone. 

[the-right-writer]

It's much the same for me, but not just the last month. With millions of freelancers on Upwork, I do not see the situation changing until Upwork decides to stop looking for connects from anything that can put a word on a profile. I don't work exclusively on Upwork beause I don't want to depend on only one source of income. In the writing category, it is rare to see even a job for $500., much less hundreds or thousands.

The pandemic and resulting ongoing deaths and disruption are still impacting the world. However, the biggest problem remains the opening of the floodgates to anything that can buy a connect.

Most of the rates are absurdly low now. Upwork seems to be telling clients they can receive great work for years old amounts of money. They want the clients and do not care about freelancers. I don't say that as an accusation, it is simply the truth. If you have 10 million freelancers, why would you care if 80 percent quit?

[796a95d8]

I am also in the writing space, and every time I see clients offering $400 for a whole copywrite novel, a part of me dies inside. 

[jaycrutcher]

I saw an illustration job with paraghaphs of demands that was paying $6 total. $1.50 per illustration.

[796a95d8]

That's insane...

[tlsanders]

Why? What does it matter to you what other freelancers choose to charge for projects that don't interest you with clients unwilling to pay your rates? 

[796a95d8]

Because I think writers are worth more than what many clients ask for here and that it's practically robbery and disrespect. I am free to voice my opinion here. 

[readyornet]

I had one guy pay the rate I asked...then out of the blue 2 weeks later, after a very positive call, he ends the contract AND requests a partial refund.  I approved the refund because I am sure he was gonna complain.  I've never had this happen and it seems that he wanted the work done for cheaper.  To me, it seemed he asked for a partial refund to offset what he really wanted to pay and took full advantage of the fact that feedback is so important to freelancers that they will just approve it.  He left me a 4.5 stars..WHO requests a refund and give 4.5 stars for feedback???

[jaycrutcher]

Assume you're going to get screwed anyway and deny the refund, or tell him he'll get it in two weeks after you see he didn't attempt to destroy you with bad feedback.

[tlsanders]

No reason in the world you should have approved it. If the contract was already closed, he couldn't change feedback. 

[tlsanders]

I have noticed more low-budget jobs, but I have not noticed less good ones. It doesn't matter to me how many jobs I don't want are in my feed as long as the number of jobs I might want stays relatively stable. 

I think sometimes it seems like there are fewer good jobs because it's 1 in 100 instead of 1 in 35 or whatever, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. 3 good jobs out of 300 is exactly the same number of good posibilities as 3 out of 100 or 3 out of 20.

[spectralua]

It is good a while you are alone freelancer. But 3 good jobs for 10 good workers? It matter for 7 of them. 🙂

[tlsanders]

The 3 jobs that are worthwhile for me are likely different from the ones others will choose. 

But, in either case, the point is that I have the same number of opportunities I did before, even though they are surrounded by more bad ones. 

[alen_prane]

I have noticed fewer job offers in my "Best Matches" section. Sometimes the jobs don't fit a lot with my skills and if we keep in mind that Upwork wants us to spend more and more money on connects, when I see job proposals sent by 100 Connects makes me think that this could get worse.

I hope this gets better for us soon but time would decide it. 

😞

[sarker-somu]

I am also suffering from the same situation even though it's been happing to me for a long time😐