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Freelance South Africa
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Terms
2024 Survey
Step
1
of
4
25%
Age
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Sex
Male
Female
Prefer not to say
Race
Black African
Coloured
Indian/Asian
White
Prefer not to say
Other
Location
Gauteng,
Western Cape
KwaZulu-Natal
Eastern Cape
Free State
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
North West
Highest level of education completed
High School
Certificate
Diploma
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Doctorate
Other
Primary language spoken at home
English
Afrikaans
Zulu (isiZulu)
Xhosa (isiXhosa)
Ndebele
Northern Sotho (Sesotho sa Leboa)
Sotho (Sesotho)
Swazi (SiSwati)
Tsonga (Xitsonga)
Tswana (Setswana)
Venda (Tshivenda)
Marital Status
Single
Married
Divorced
Widowed
Separated
Domestic Partnership
Do you have dependents
Yes
No
Disability status
Yes
No
Are you currently a student?
Yes
No
Type of area you currently live in
Urban
Suburban
Rural
Township
Country of origin
South Africa
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czechia
Côte d'Ivoire
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Holy See
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Republic of
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine, State of
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Réunion
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria Arab Republic
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania, the United Republic of
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Türkiye
US Minor Outlying Islands
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Virgin Islands, British
Virgin Islands, U.S.
Wallis and Futuna
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Ã…land Islands
Residency Status
Citizen
Permanent Resident
Temporary Resident
Work Visa
Student Visa
Seeking Asylum
Undocumented
Prefer not to say
Work Permit Status
I have a work permit
I do not have a work permit
Not applicable
Prefer not to say
Time living in South Africa
Less than 1 year
1-3 years
3-5 years
5-10 years
More than 10 years
Prefer not to say
How long have you been freelancing ?
Less than 1 year
1-2 years
3-5 years
6-10 years
More than 10 years
Is freelancing your primary source of income?
Yes
No
On average, how many hours do you work in a week?
Less than 10
11-20
21-30
31-40
More than 40
Primary reason for starting freelancing
Financial independence
Flexibility in schedule
Pursue a passion
Work from anywhere
Job market challenges
Entrepreneurial opportunity
Other
How did you find your first client?
Online platform
Referral
Social media
Networking
Other
Number of clients worked with in the past year
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21+
Average duration of projects
Less than a week
1-4 weeks
1-3 months
3-6 months
Over 6 months
Percentage of repeat clients
0-20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%
Have you ever terminated a contract early?
Yes
No
Main method of communicating with clients
Never
Occasionally
Sometimes
Often
Always
Email
Phone
Video Call
App
Online Platform
Frequency of project deadlines not being met
Never
Occasionally
Sometimes
Often
Always
Main source of stress in freelancing
Not stressful at all
Slightly stressful
Moderately stressful
Very stressful
Extremely stressful
Finding Clients
Meeting Deadlines
Maintaining work-life balance
Irregular income
Client demands
Scope creep
Payment Issues
Level of satisfaction with work-life balance
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
ClientExperience
How satisfied are you with the clients you've worked with? 1-10
10
9
8
7
6
4
3
2
1
How often do you encounter the following issues with clients ?
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Rarely
Communication problems
Payment issues
Mission Creep
Unrealistic deadlines
Have you worked with international clients?
Yes
No
Preferred project type
One-time projects
Ongoing projects
Retainer basis
Other
How often do the following communication issues affect you ?
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
Language barriers
Time zone differences
Undefined project scope
Unrealistic expectations
What would you say has proved the most effective method for resolving disputes with clients ?
Written agreements/contracts
Mediation
Third-party arbitration
Direct negotiation
Legal action
Your overall level of satisfaction with client feedback and input
Excellent
Pretty good
Neutral
Not so great
Terrible
Features most important in a freelancing platform
Not Important at all
Slightly important
Moderately important
Very important
Extremely important
Finding Clients
Payment Security
Low Service fee
Community Support
Resources & Tools
What platforms do you currently use to find freelance work?
Local South African platforms
Fiverr
Upwork
Freelancer
LinkedIn
Other International Platforms
If you've left or stopped using a platform, what was the reason?
High fees
Poor client quality
Lack of projects
Payment issues
Other
My most used platform needs...
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
Better client screening
Lower fees
More payment security
Better dispute resolution
More networking opportunities
More kill development resources
Importance of a platform's community features
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Preference for direct client communication vs. platform-mediated communication
Direct
Platform-mediated
No preference
Tools regularly used in freelancing work
Project Management
Time Tracking
Invoicing and Financial Management
Communication
Other
I feel I need more support as a freelancer in the following areas...
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly agree
Financial management
Legal advice
Marketing and self-promotion
Technical training
Networking opportunities
Mental health support
Challenges in using current tools
High cost
Steep learning curve
Lack of specific features
Compatibility issues
Poor user experience
Lack of integration
Other
Services
Category
Administrative & Business Support
Agriculture & Gardening Services
Arts & Crafts
Customer & Technical Support
Data Science & Analytics
Design & Creative
Digital Marketing & PR
Education & Training
Engineering & Architecture
Environmental & Green Services
Event & Project Management
Finance & Accounting
Gaming & Game Development
Human Resources & Coaching
Music & Audio Production
Real Estate & Interior Design
Sales & Business Development
Science & Lab Work
Security Services
Software Testing & QA
Tech & Programming
Voice Over & Acting
Writing & Editing & Content Creation
Sub-category
Specialization
Choose what services you offer.
