Upwork Monthly Hiring Report: Demand for Quality Assurance, Project Management, and Other Human-Centric Skills Rose in September as Businesses Combat AI “Workslop”
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) has released its September 2025 Monthly Hiring Report, revealing significant trends in freelance hiring as businesses adapt to AI integration. The report shows rising demand for human-centric skills to combat AI "workslop" - subpar AI output that affects 40% of employees and requires an average of two hours to resolve each incident.
Key growth metrics include: Translation & localization up 29%, project management among SMBs surging 102%, and digital marketing increasing 9%. The report highlights that 58% of businesses will prioritize AI proficiency in freelance hiring over the next three months, while 39% cite lack of trust in AI accuracy as an implementation barrier.
The marketplace, which generates $1.5 trillion in annual freelance earnings, demonstrates that companies are focusing on human-AI collaboration rather than substitution, particularly in quality assurance, project management, and creative refinement roles.
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) ha reso disponibile il monthly hiring report di settembre 2025, evidenziando tendenze chiave nell’assunzione freelance mentre le aziende si allineano all’integrazione dell’IA. Il rapporto segnala una domanda crescente di competenze centrate sull’uomo per contrastare il cosiddetto “workslop” dell’IA, output poco performante che riguarda il 40% dei dipendenti e richiede in media due ore per risolvere ciascun incidente.
Principali metriche di crescita: Traduzione e localizzazione +29%, gestione progetti tra PMI +102%, marketing digitale +9%. Il documento sottolinea che il 58% delle aziende anteporrà la competenza IA nelle assunzioni freelance nei prossimi tre mesi, mentre il 39% cita la mancanza di fiducia nell’accuratezza dell’IA come ostacolo all’implementazione.
Il marketplace, che genera 1,5 trilioni di dollari all’anno di redditi freelance, mostra che le aziende mirano a una collaborazione uomo-IA piuttosto che a una sostituzione totale, soprattutto in settori come assicurazione qualità, gestione progetti e raffinamento creativo.
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) ha publicado su Informe Mensual de Contratación de septiembre de 2025, revelando tendencias clave en la contratación freelance a medida que las empresas se adaptan a la integración de la IA. El informe señala una mayor demanda de habilidades centradas en las personas para combatir el “workslop” de la IA, rendimiento deficiente que afecta al 40% de los empleados y que requiere, en promedio, dos horas para resolver cada incidente.
Principales métricas de crecimiento: Traducción y localización +29%, gestión de proyectos entre pymes +102%, y marketing digital +9%. El informe destaca que el 58% de las empresas priorizará la competencia en IA en la contratación freelance durante los próximos tres meses, mientras que el 39% cita la falta de confianza en la precisión de la IA como barrera de implementación.
El marketplace, que genera 1,5 billones de dólares en ingresos anuales freelance, demuestra que las empresas se enfocan en la colaboración humano-IA en lugar de la sustitución, especialmente en roles de aseguramiento de calidad, gestión de proyectos y refinamiento creativo.
Upwork(NASDAQ:UPWK)은 2025년 9월 월간 채용 보고서를 발표했으며, 기업들이 AI 통합에 적응하는 과정에서 프리랜스 채용의 중요한 동향을 보여줍니다. 이 보고서는 AI의 ‘워크슬롭’이라 불리는 부실한 AI 산출물을 해결하는 데에 사람 중심의 기술 수요가 증가하고 있으며, 이는 직원의 40%에게 영향을 미치고 각 사건을 해결하는 데 평균 두 시간이 필요하다고 밝혔습니다.
주요 성장 지표로는 번역 및 현지화 +29%, 중소기업 대상 프로젝트 관리 +102%, 디지털 마케팅 +9%가 있습니다. 보고서는 앞으로 3개월간 고용에서 AI 역량을 우선시할 것이라는 기업이 58%에 달하며, 39%는 AI 정확도에 대한 신뢰 부족을 실행 장벽으로 꼽는다고 강조합니다.
매시장(마켓플레이스)은 연간 프리랜스 수입 1.5조 달러를 창출하며, 기업들이 품질 보증, 프로젝트 관리, 창의적 다듬기 역할에서 인간과 AI의 협업에 집중하고 있음을 보여줍니다.
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) a publié son Rapport mensuel sur l’emploi de septembre 2025, révélant des tendances clés dans le recrutement freelance alors que les entreprises s’adaptent à l’intégration de l’IA. Le rapport montre une demande croissante de compétences centrées sur l’humain pour contrer le « workslop » de l’IA, une production IA de faible qualité qui affecte 40% des employés et nécessite en moyenne deux heures pour résoudre chaque incident.
Principales mesures de croissance : Traduction et localisation +29%, gestion de projets parmi les PME +102%, et marketing digital +9%. Le rapport souligne que 58% des entreprises privilégieront la compétence IA lors des recrutements freelances dans les trois prochains mois, tandis que 39% citent le manque de confiance dans l’exactitude de l’IA comme obstacle à l’implémentation.
Le marché, qui génère 1,5 trillion de dollars de revenus annuels freelances, montre que les entreprises privilégient la collaboration humain-IA plutôt que le remplacement, notamment dans les domaines de l’assurance qualité, de la gestion de projets et du raffinement créatif.
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) hat seinen monatlichen Einstellungsbericht für September 2025 veröffentlicht und zeigt wichtige Trends bei der Freelance-Einstellung, während Unternehmen sich an die Integration von KI anpassen. Der Bericht verzeichnet eine steigende Nachfrage nach menschenzentrierten Fähigkeiten, um das sogenannte AI-„Workslop“ - minderwertige KI-Ausgaben, die 40% der Mitarbeitenden betreffen und im Durchschnitt zwei Stunden zur Behebung eines Vorfalls benötigen - zu bekämpfen.
Wichtige Wachstumskennzahlen sind Übersetzung & Lokalisierung +29%, Projektmanagement bei KMU +102%, und Digitales Marketing +9%. Der Bericht hebt hervor, dass 58% der Unternehmen in den nächsten drei Monaten KI-Kompetenz bei der Freelance-Anstellung priorisieren werden, während 39% die mangelnde Vertrauenswürdigkeit der KI-Genauigkeit als Implementierungsbarriere nennen.
Der Marktplatz, der 1,5 Billionen Dollar jährlich an Freelance-Einnahmen generiert, zeigt, dass Unternehmen eher auf eine Mensch-KI-Kollaboration setzen als auf Ersetzung, besonders in Bereichen wie Qualitätssicherung, Projektmanagement und kreativem Feinschliff.
أصدرت أوبروك (يُدرج تحت Nasdaq: UPWK) تقرير التوظيف الشهري لشهر سبتمبر 2025، كاشفة عن اتجاهات مهمة في التوظيف الحر مع تبني المؤسسات للذكاء الاصطناعي. يُظهر التقرير ازدياد الطلب على المهارات التي تركز على الإنسان لمكافحة ما يسمى بـ“العمل غير الفعّال” للذكاء الاصطناعي، وهو إنتاجية ضعيفة تؤثر على 40% من الموظفين وتتطلب بمعدل ساعتين لحل كل حادثة.
من أبرز مقاييس النمو: الترجمة والتوطين +29%، إدارة المشاريع بين الشركات الصغيرة والمتوسطة +102%، والتسويق الرقمي +9%. يبرز التقرير أن 58% من الشركات ستعطي الأولوية لكفاءة الذكاء الاصطناعي عند التوظيف الحر في الأشهر الثلاثة المقبلة، بينما يذكر 39% أن عدم الثقة في دقة الذكاء الاصطناعي يمثل عائقاً أمام التنفيذ.
السوق المفتوح، الذي يحقق 1.5 تريليون دولار من إيرادات العمل الحر سنوياً, يظهر أن الشركات تركز على التعاون بين الإنسان والذكاء الاصطناعي بدلاً من الاستبدال، خاصة في مجالات ضمان الجودة، إدارة المشاريع، وتطوير الإبداع.
Upwork（纳斯达克股票代码：UPWK）发布了2025年9月的月度招聘报告，揭示了企业在实现AI整合的过程中对自由职业者的显著需求趋势。报告显示对以人为本技能的需求上升，以应对AI的“工作垃圾”现象——AI产出质量下降，影响40%的员工，平均需要两小时来解决每个事件。
主要增长指标包括：翻译与本地化 +29%、中小企业项目管理 +102%、数字营销 +9%。报告指出，在未来三个月内，58%的企业将优先考虑在自由职业招聘中具备AI能力，而39%的人表示对AI准确性缺乏信任是实施障碍。
该市场年自由职业收入达
- Translation & localization services grew significantly by 29%
- Project management demand surged 102% among SMBs
- Digital marketing contracts increased by 9%
- Recruiting & human resources services grew by 26%
- Platform generates $1.5 trillion in annual freelance earnings
- 40% of employees experience AI workslop issues requiring 2 hours on average to resolve
- 39% of businesses report lack of trust in AI accuracy
- Companies facing challenges in AI implementation and quality control
Insights
Upwork's report shows rising demand for human skills that validate AI output, with businesses prioritizing quality assurance to combat costly AI errors.
Upwork's September hiring report reveals a critical market shift toward human-AI collaboration rather than replacement, highlighted by significant growth in quality-focused skills: translation services up
This trend signals a maturing AI market where businesses are recognizing implementation challenges and strategically supplementing AI with human expertise. With
The platform's marketplace data demonstrates how businesses are preparing for 2026 planning cycles by strengthening operational fundamentals with human talent, as evidenced by recruiting/HR growing
What's particularly revealing is that
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today released its Monthly Hiring Report for September, revealing rising demand for skills that combat AI “workslop,” such as quality assurance and project management. The report illuminates real-time trends signaling how business leaders are hiring, providing a more comprehensive picture of the U.S. labor market by focusing on the freelance economy – a dynamic sector of the workforce that generates an estimated
“Our real-time platform data gives us a unique view into what companies are hiring for, what skills are rising, and how work is evolving in the age of AI, which is changing and enabling new types of work in virtually every category,” said Erica Gessert, chief financial officer at Upwork. “The trends in this month’s report underscore the powerful truth that the future of work is human-AI collaboration, not substitution. From quality assurance to translation, human involvement is essential to turn AI’s potential into quality outcomes and actual business value. Companies are hiring for these and other uniquely human skills to ensure their AI investments pay off.”
Top 3 Hiring Insights: September 2025
Demand for translation & localization grew
As businesses rapidly adopt AI tools, they are simultaneously recognizing the costly side effect of subpar AI output and hallucinations, referred to as “workslop.” Forty percent of employees have experienced workslop, and it takes an average of two hours to resolve each incident.3 To combat this productivity drain, businesses are turning to flexible talent to provide oversight and quality assurance across types of work that require validation, deep context, and creative refinement.
- Data from Upwork’s marketplace:
- Translation & localization grew
29% .2 - Sales & marketing copywriting grew
12% .2 - Quality assurance testing grew
9% .2
- Translation & localization grew
39% of businesses say a lack of trust in AI’s accuracy is a barrier to implementing AI.4
Digital marketing contracts saw a
As the shift toward generative engine optimization (GEO) and answer engine optimization (AEO) fundamentally changes how businesses reach customers, companies are relying on flexible talent to drive their digital strategies.
- Data from Upwork’s marketplace:
- Digital marketing grew
9% overall; among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) grew8% and7% , respectively.2 - Video & animation grew
8% .2
- Digital marketing grew
53% of businesses anticipate hiring freelance digital marketers in the next three months.4
Project management among SMBs soared
As the majority of businesses head into the annual planning cycle, there’s a renewed focus on reinforcing core operations and ensuring they have the necessary human oversight and structure to achieve their 2026 goals.
- Data from Upwork’s marketplace:
- Recruiting & human resources grew
26% .2 - Project management grew
17% overall; among SMBs, it grew102% – making it the fastest-growing category of work within this segment.2 - Virtual assistance grew
11% . - High-value contracts for financial planning and accounting & bookkeeping both grew
5% .2
- Recruiting & human resources grew
35% of businesses expect to hire freelance project managers in the next three months.4
“The dramatic surge in project management hiring, particularly among smaller businesses, is a telltale sign of organizational adaptation under AI pressures,” said Professor Nicholas Bloom, Stanford University. “This reflects more than a cyclical planning push, with companies investing in the necessary human infrastructure – the project managers, recruiters, and financial planners – to execute with precision and operational efficiency in a rapidly changing, AI-enabled economy.”
Top 10 Most In-Demand AI-Related Skills in September 20255:
- Python
- Video editing
- Graphic design
- ChatGPT
- AI-generated video (new)
- Machine learning
- Virtual assistance (new)
- Content writing (new)
- Data entry (new)
- Adobe Illustrator (new)
“The top 10 AI-related skills this month, including virtual assistance, content writing, and video editing, demonstrate that businesses are leveraging AI to augment and streamline core operations, not replace their workforces,” said Dr. Teng Liu, economist for the Upwork Research Institute. “This demand for foundational human skills shows that businesses’ focus is shifting. AI is handling the heavy lifting of redundant work, but human talent is still the critical layer responsible for quality control, context, and creative refinement.”
The Upwork Monthly Hiring Report is released monthly before the Employment Situation from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is published.
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 freelance economy – a vibrant sector of the workforce that generates
Methodology and Sources
1Upwork Future Workforce Index, April 2025.
2Upwork marketplace data reflecting month-over-month (MoM) changes based on new contract activity in the U.S. from September 1-24, 2025 compared to August 1-24, 2025. High-value work is defined as a contract of at least
3The Hidden Costs of Workslop from BetterUp, September 2025.
4September Business Pulse Survey from the Upwork Research Institute.
5Upwork marketplace data reflecting top freelance skills hired for based on new contract activity in the U.S. from September 1-24, 2025.
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
press@upwork.com
FAQ
What is the growth rate of translation and localization services on Upwork (UPWK) in September 2025?
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