Upwork creates world’s largest on-demand talent agency

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 23, 2017 -- At its Work Without Limits Executive Summit today Upwork, the largest freelancing website, announced the launch of their Talent Services division. The new division combines consultative services with Upwork’s industry-leading technology platform. The division’s goal is to give enterprise companies quick access to the specialized freelance talent they need to support strategic business initiatives.

Upwork Talent Services adds a people layer to Upwork Enterprise, the company’s industry-leading product for larger companies that are building flexible benches of freelancers. Upwork Enterprise is used by nearly 20 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The Talent Services division helps companies vet the millions of freelancers available on Upwork’s site to find the specialized talent needed to support evolving project demands. By combining Upwork Enterprise and Talent Services, companies now get the best of both worlds, the technology and the services needed to build a freelance bench on-demand.

“Traditional approaches to talent sourcing are no longer sufficient to keep up with today’s on-demand economy -- it’s never been harder to find great talent,” said Upwork CEO, Stephane Kasriel. “We’re the first solution to bridge this talent gap by combining online sourcing capabilities with a robust technology platform. This unique combination offers a scalable model that enables businesses to quickly access the quality talent they need, while driving down project costs.”

Hiring has gotten harder -- Upwork’s Talent Services makes it easier and faster

To ensure project goals are met, Upwork’s Talent Services team members, called “Talent Specialists,” help companies optimize their talent supply chain by providing: 

• Access to higher-quality talent: The average fill rate is 84 percent versus 50 percent through traditional methods.
• Faster time-to-hire: Jobs fill 10 times faster, taking an average of three days versus the traditional 30-day average.
• Better value: Companies on average experience an over 60 percent savings in total project costs.

For companies that lack the time and resources to coordinate large project deliverables, Upwork’s Talent Services team offers full program management. Upwork’s program managers work with clients to help define the scope of the project, identify the skills that are needed and design processes to track project outcomes and deliver final reporting.

Led by industry veteran Margaret Lilani, Talent Services team makes immediate impact
Since its inception in February of this year, the Talent Services Team has already grown over 250 percent. The team is led by staffing industry veteran Margaret Lilani. Prior to joining Upwork, Lilani was instrumental in creating and growing a legal temporary staffing division from a $3 million startup to a $100 million organization in just three years.

Lilani’s distributed team of Talent Specialists focuses on vetting skills and curating talent for Upwork’s enterprise clients. Under her leadership, the Talent Services team is well on its way to creating the world’s largest on-demand talent agency.

About Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest freelancing website. Upwork Enterprise combines technology and services, giving companies a single solution that makes it simple, quick and cost effective to access qualified freelance talent.

Twenty percent of Fortune 500 companies and other notable companies utilize Upwork to find and engage freelancers, including organizations such as Airbnb, Dropbox, Pfizer and Juniper Networks. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., with offices in San Francisco, Chicago and Oslo, Norway. For more information, visit our website at www.upwork.com, join us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contact
Katie Evans
Upwork
[email protected]