Small businesses casting wide net for freelancers
Author: Bill Laforme
November 5, 2009

Small businesses are reportedly taking advantage of the recession and technology to hire freelance talent from all over the world.

A recent New York Times report describes the growing trend of entrepreneurs using an increasingly specialized array of freelance websites to find talent anywhere in the U.S. as well as places like Russia and India.

"This is one more step in the path to leveling the playing field between small and large businesses. A small-business person in a company of one can look to the world like a very large company and have access to all kinds of services," professor and author Thomas Malone told the newspaper.

Despite the potential savings of hiring freelancers from overseas for tasks such as graphic design and custom printing, the report also advises business owners to check up on a potential hire the way they would a regular employee, and to be clear and stay engaged in their work.

Elsewhere, a Money Magazine report earlier this month noted that independent contractors, part-time workers and freelancers are expected to account for as much as 40 percent of the workforce in about a decade.