The 10 most in-demand IT skills for freelance jobs in 2023
From website design to manual testing
From back-end and front-end developers to e-commerce website design and manual testing, here are the top 10 most in-demand IT skills in 2023, according to new data from Upwork.
Upwork recently unveiled the top 10 most in-demand IT skills organisations are seeking from independent technology professionals in 2023. From back-end and front-end developers to mobile application and web designers, there's huge demand for skilled technology professionals for many jobs and projects, from everything from startups to Fortune 100 companies.
For example, one of the most highly in-demand IT skills in 2023 is full stack development, which requires skills around everything from HTML, Python and JavaScript to frameworks like NodeJS and C++, to even database management systems like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
"The uncertain economic environment is pushing businesses to explore new solutions to stay competitive and they're finding unlocked potential in the growing pool of skilled independent professionals," said Margaret Lilani, vice president of talent solutions at Upwork.
In today's market, freelance IT jobs are opening up for highly skilled tech professionals more than ever before, according to Upwork.
In fact, data from Upwork shows that 60 million Americans performed freelance work over the past 12 months, representing roughly 39% of the U.S, workforce, according to data from the San Francisco-based company.
Upwork connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe via its marketplace for freelancers in many fields, including technology. The company's skills data was sourced from Upwork database and is based on US freelancer earnings from 1st January 2022 to 31st October 2022, although the results are also applicable to Europe. Each skill had a minimum of 500 projects with active work.
Here our sister brand CRN breaks down the 10 most in-demand tech skills based on Upwork data that IT job seekers are looking for in technical talent for 2023.
The 10 most in-demand IT skills for freelance jobs in 2023
From website design to manual testing
From back-end and front-end developers to e-commerce website design and manual testing, here are the top 10 most in-demand IT skills in 2023, according to new data from Upwork.

No. 10: Scripting and automation
Skilled scripting and automation professionals know how to use automation software to leverage the current scripts within a company's framework. These IT professionals help automate tasks for a business, such as sending emails to customers, by writing codes in languages such as JavaScript and Python.
Some of the top automation and scripting skills needed today include expertise on tools like ActiveBatch, Atera, Microsoft Power Apps and NinjaOne.
Organisations use automation scripts to reduce the time that businesses spend on automating tasks because they don't need to recompile files or restart a server. Automation scripts are small pieces of code that can extend the product.