1- Upwork got flooded with freelancers, during and after the pandemic, most of them with little or no experience freelancing. Also, people going to live in cheaper countries then trying to make a living with Upwork as they will not get local work (e.g. Californians going to live in Mexico). I have a Ukrainian friend, who went to live in Turkey, doing that. She does not even speak Turkish.
2- The bid boosting device is likely to be confusing clients. Clients with little experience hiring freelancers do not know who is good and who is not; they may think that the best freelancers are at the top of the list.
I am actively seeking work outside Upwork, with my website, not by enrolling in cheapo workers sites like Fiverr and Guru. My work load has decreased in Upwork because of the things above and I will not rely solely on Upwork. There is not chance I will bring to Upwork any clients I manage to get outside, just to see Upwork and other freelancers pinching them with cheap fees.
