MANILA, Philippines - Online outsourcing marketplace giant Freelancer.com launched recently Freelancer.ph, a dedicated regional website supporting business owners and freelancers in the Philippines.
Matt Barrie, chief executive of Freelancer.com, is bullish about the success of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), in light of increasing globalization and the rapid adoption of the internet in the country. The award-winning entrepreneur, technologist, and lecturer said one of the best solutions for Filipino entrepreneurs is tapping into a global online jobs marketplace.
“The internet offers a huge potential for Filipino entrepreneurs,” said Barrie. “Filipinos are already the fifth largest population on Freelancer.com, and the third largest freelancer community and this continues to grow at a tremendous rate. Whether you have an idea to start a business and need to hire someone to help turn it into reality, or you’re an entrepreneur wanting to start a service business working as a freelancer online, there’s a huge opportunity.”
The Philippines has the third largest internet penetration in the Asia Pacific and has been growing exponentially, increasing from eight million users online in 2009 to 30 million in 2010. On top of this, social networking penetration is among the highest in the world — it is estimated that about 25 million of these online users have Facebook accounts.
SMEs in the Philippines can now connect with over 2.7 million verified professionals worldwide, to get a variety of jobs done that don’t require fulltime employment. Freelancers from over 400 different industries can be hired, starting at P1,200, and an average of around P8,000.
As well as assisting employers, this online marketplace can also help Filipinos find alternative sources of income beyond their day jobs, by working as freelancers or building service providing companies. Top freelancers on Freelancer.com are today making around $1 million a year, and already around 1.1 million jobs have been provided through the site to freelancers globally.
Freelancer.ph today offers transactions in pesos; and now offers local support for more than 100,000 registered Filipino users.