LinkedIn, the Microsoft‘s career-focused networking, is developing a freelance marketplace to connect users to new opportunities. The new platform will enable businesses to find, connect with, and pay freelancers all on the platform. The platform must compete with companies like Upwork and Fiverr.
According to The Information, the service is expected to launch in September and will help LinkedIn attract new users to its 740 million user base. The idea of the social network is to invest in a market that is still restricted, but with growth potential because of the pandemic of COVID-19, of platforms that connect freelance workers to companies.
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LinkedIn Marketplace may replace ProFinder, a connection tool focused on freelance workers that allows anyone to search for freelancers to work on specific projects by filtering the search by topic.
However, the new service will add many other features, such as search for services and price comparison and posting of proposals to attract freelancers, as well as evaluations of contractors.
Suzi Owens, a LinkedIn spokeswoman, told The Information that the number of people requesting other people’s services on the platform has increased. The most targeted professionals work in areas such as executive coaching, marketing, design and software development. “In the future, we will be building new ways to share more about the services you [could] offer directly through your LinkedIn profile,” said Owens.
