Upwork December Monthly Hiring Report: Operational Roles Rise as Businesses Brace for Macro Uncertainty in 2026
Rhea-AI Summary
Upwork (Nasdaq: UPWK) released its December Monthly Hiring Report on Jan 8, 2026, showing a shift toward operational hiring as businesses brace for macro uncertainty.
Key marketplace moves: Project Management +23% MoM, Accounting & Bookkeeping +15% MoM, and Virtual Admin +3% MoM. SMBs drove gains, with SMB Project Management +70% MoM. Categories tied to experimentation cooled: Ecommerce Development -56% MoM (but +14% YoY), Branding -17% MoM (but +21% YoY), and Marketing -15% MoM (but +43% YoY). The report uses >1M U.S. job posts and a monthly business pulse survey.
Positive
- Project Management demand +23% month-over-month
- SMB Project Management demand +70% month-over-month
- Accounting & Bookkeeping demand +15% month-over-month
- Marketing, PR & Brand Strategy +43% year-over-year
Negative
- Ecommerce Development demand -56% month-over-month
- Branding & Logo Design demand -17% month-over-month
- Fewer than one in three business leaders described macro conditions as favorable
News Market Reaction 3 Alerts
On the day this news was published, UPWK declined 2.11%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Our momentum scanner triggered 3 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. This price movement removed approximately $56M from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $2.61B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
UPWK gained 2.91% while key peers like YELP (-1.14%), GENI (-2.54%), RUM (-3.78%), and IAC (-2.48%) declined; only WB was slightly positive at 0.28%, suggesting stock-specific strength rather than a sector-wide move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 04 | Monthly hiring report | Positive | -0.6% | Reported rising demand for human-centered skills as companies scale AI. |
| Nov 19 | Conference participation | Positive | +6.3% | CFO scheduled for fireside chat at UBS Global Technology and AI Conference. |
| Nov 18 | Investor Day strategy | Positive | +5.5% | Outlined multi-year AI-native marketplace strategy and 2026–2028 growth targets. |
| Nov 13 | AI productivity study | Positive | +0.1% | HAPI results showed up to 70% better completion with human+AI collaboration. |
| Nov 12 | Global expansion | Positive | -5.1% | Announced Lisbon hub to support AI innovation and global technical hiring. |
Recent news shows mixed reactions: some positive strategic and AI updates aligned with price gains, while other constructive announcements saw flat or negative moves, indicating inconsistent news-to-price translation.
Over the last few months, UPWK has highlighted themes around AI-driven growth, operational expansion, and hiring trends. The November Monthly Hiring Report showed strong demand for human-centered and AI-related skills. Investor Day outlined multi-year growth targets, including projected 2026 revenue and GSV growth and improving margins. Additional updates covered AI productivity research (HAPI) and plans for a Lisbon hub by Q4 2026. Today’s hiring report continues this pattern of data-driven insights into marketplace demand and AI adoption.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights rising demand for operational roles and AI-enabled skills on Upwork’s marketplace, based on more than 1 million U.S. job posts and survey data. It underscores a shift from experimentation toward execution as 2026 begins, particularly among SMBs. In the context of earlier AI, productivity, and strategy updates, the report reinforces UPWK’s focus on AI-native work and flexible talent. Investors may watch future hiring reports, AI-related categories, and execution against the multi-year growth plan disclosed in late 2025.
Key Terms
machine learning technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Rising demand for project management and accounting show companies shifting from experimentation to execution
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today released its December Monthly Hiring Report, revealing a clear shift toward hiring focused on operational execution as businesses prepare for a potentially volatile start to 2026. The report draws from more than 1 million job posts in the U.S. on the Upwork Marketplace annually and a monthly business pulse survey from the Upwork Research Institute. It offers a real-time view of how businesses are hiring in the digital knowledge work market, which is expected to reach
With fewer than one in three business leaders describing macro conditions as favorable in December,2 hiring activity on Upwork shows companies narrowing their strategic focus to roles that help them execute with precision rather than build or experiment with new systems.
Top Hiring Insights: December 2025
Operational roles led hiring growth in December to shore up planning and execution amid rising uncertainty. Demand on the Upwork Marketplace rose for:
- Project Management: +
23% - Accounting & Bookkeeping: +
15% - Virtual Admin Assistance: +
3%
Meanwhile, some categories tied to experimentation and expansion cooled on a short-term basis, reflecting typical year-end budget resets and seasonal planning cycles rather than broader, structural shifts in demand. Hiring on the Upwork Marketplace declined for:
- Ecommerce Development: -
56% month-over-month, but +14% year-over-year - Branding & Logo Design: -
17% month-over-month, but +21% year-over-year - Marketing, PR & Brand Strategy: -
15% month-over-month, but +43% year-over-year
Hiring in December was driven by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Among SMBs, hiring for Project Management rose
“In uncertain macro conditions, execution matters, and we're seeing that shift most clearly among small and medium-sized businesses,” said Anthony Kappus, chief operating officer at Upwork. “They have less room for error and are driving demand for operational roles like project management, using flexible talent to get operations tight and keep projects moving.”
“Additionally, after months of momentum in AI building and adoption, December hiring points to a more pragmatic phase,” said Teng Liu, economist at the Upwork Research Institute. “Demand is concentrated around skills that support coordination, quality control, and reliable execution in everyday operations.”
Most In-Demand AI-Enabled Skills in December 2025
- Python
- Video editing
- Graphic design
- ChatGPT
- AI-generated video
- Data entry (new)
- Virtual admin assistance (new)
- Machine learning
- Web design (new)
- Adobe Photoshop
For more insights from the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, visit upwork.com/research.
About The Upwork Monthly Hiring Report
The Upwork Monthly Hiring Report is designed to provide an early signal of broader shifts in how business leaders are hiring in real-time and aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of hiring trends in the U.S. labor market with a focus on the independent talent economy. The report draws from more than 1 million job posts in the U.S. on the Upwork Marketplace annually and a monthly business pulse survey from the Upwork Research Institute. It offers a real-time view of how businesses are hiring in the digital knowledge work market, which is expected to reach
Methodology
Upwork Marketplace data reflects month-over-month (MoM) changes based on new contract activity in the U.S. from December 1–31, 2025, compared with November 1–30, 2025. Year-over-year (YoY) comparisons reflect changes in new contract activity compared with the same period in the prior year. High-value work is defined as contracts of at least
About Upwork Inc.
Upwork Inc.’s (Nasdaq: UPWK) family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work type including freelance, fractional, and payrolled. This portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace, which connects businesses with on-demand access to highly skilled talent across the globe, and Lifted, which provides a purpose-built solution for enterprise organizations to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across the full spectrum of contingent work. From Fortune 100 enterprises to entrepreneurs, businesses rely on Upwork Inc. to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond.
Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than
Contact:
Christine Lee
press@upwork.com
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1 Estimated 2028 market size from Upwork Market Study, a commissioned third-party study that estimates the size of the flexible digital knowledge work market based on data from, among other sources, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, World Bank, and International Labour Organization (October 2025).
2 December Business Pulse Survey from the Upwork Research Institute.
FAQ
What hiring trends did Upwork (UPWK) report for December 2025?
How much did SMB hiring for project management on Upwork rise in December 2025?
Which Upwork categories fell in December 2025 and by how much?
Does the Upwork December 2025 report show continued AI hiring momentum?
What data sources did Upwork use for the December 2025 hiring report?
