US MRKT Sales Associate as Freelancer

The US MRKT Sales Associate (SA) is a participant in the growing “gig” economy.  A study by Intuit predicted that by 2020, 40% of American workers would be gig economy independent contractors. This trend is global. Another term for these workers includes “freelance”– meaning, a person who is hired for a specific task, at a specific rate and for a specific period of time.  Think of the Uber driver, or the US MRKT SA.

The payment system company Payoneer has published a recent study of Freelancers and the following are some interesting findings (they surveyed 21,000 freelancers from 170 countries):

• The worldwide average hourly rate charged by freelancers is $19, well above the average hourly salary in most of the countries where the freelancers we surveyed are based. 
• The freelance scene is young – over 50% of the respondents are under the age of 30.  At the same time, older freelancers earn more than their younger counterparts. 
• Freelancers with advanced degrees earn more than those with high school and bachelor’s degrees. 
• Regardless of their own location, more than two-thirds of freelancers work for clients based in North America, and half of them work for clients based in Europe. 
• Over 80% of the professionals surveyed focus on 1 to 3 jobs at a time. 
• Almost half of the freelancers have an average work week of 30-50 hours. 
• Freelancers providing Finance, Management & HR services work the most hours a week. 
• Freelancers providing Legal services charge more than any other service ($28 per hour) but work the fewest hours per week. 
• Freelancers who work in the field of IT & Programming have the highest levels of job satisfaction. 
• Nearly 3/4 of freelancers find projects via online marketplaces. 
• The preferred social media channel to promote the freelancers’ work is Facebook, utilized by 54% of the respondents.

The point I am making is that a US MRKT SA is also a freelancer, in that he/she will earn according to the hours spent as a SA promoting the products and services available on the platform.