Freelancers do not see end of crisis until 2021
Freelancers were particularly hard hit by the Corona lockdown. In the meantime, however, the situation of freelancers has stabilized somewhat, and many of them even have new clients, as a survey by freelancermap.de showed.
The still critical situation among freelancers is stabilizing and shows slightly positive trends in June, according to freelancermap "Corona" Freelancer Barometer. The majority does not expect the crisis to end until 2021 - but new customer business is one source of fresh hope.
Stable situation: Almost half have no existential fears
While the majority of IT freelancers were still struggling with existential fears in March, the results have shown a clear positive trend since the surveys began. Almost half of all freelancers no longer feel that their professional existence is threatened, and only just under a third are concerned about the uncertain situation.
However, there was a slight decrease in the number of freelancers who can bridge at most another six months before running into financial difficulties (May: 74 percent; June: 68 percent).
One in two with 50 percent of normal sales - new customers as an opportunity
The proportion of those who currently still generate at least half of their usual revenue is 48 percent. A considerable figure for the time of crisis, yet one in four now say they are not generating any revenue.
Especially now, freelancers are obliged to actively pursue acquisition, because cooperation with existing customers is seldom sufficient to stay afloat financially these days. The fact that IT freelancers are implementing this approach is shown by the fact that 52 percent of the orders won since the start of the crisis have come from new customers. At the same time, this figure also proves that companies are looking for freelance experts despite the crisis.
Even without a second wave: IT freelancers do not see end of crisis until 2021
While easing has set in in almost all areas, freelancers are still cautious with their own business forecasts. Very few expect a quick return to normal. Only 17 percent are already planning for September with their usual project business, while the majority do not see the end of the crisis until December. Many even tend to think that their business will not be as good as before the crisis until after March of the coming year.
