A glimmer of hope - Brainville Statistics Q3 2023

The third quarter of 2023 underlined that times are still tough for consultants and freelancers. However, positive signs for projects managers inspire a glimmer of hope.

Brainville is the largest independent marketplace for freelancers and consultants in the Nordics. As an extension of Brainville.com we have added Brainville Statistics, where you can drill down in the statistics of your choice about the freelance and consulting industry. Brainville Statistics is updated on a monthly basis. This is an overview of the market in the third quarter of 2023.

The signs of a tentative recovery in the market shown in the first half of the year continued, but the third quarter also underlined that times are still tough. While the market seems to have stabilized, the number of assignments on offer was still clearly lower compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022 and 2021. The decrease in demand in the large metropolitan areas relative to other regions also
continued in the quarter.

At the same time, the number of available consultants reached the levels previously seen during the pandemic, in the third quarter of 2020. The share of part-time assignments on offer grew, yet another sign of a weak market.
– When we compare the number of registrations by consultants to the same quarter last year there was a 33 percent increase - and that’s a lot. We see a higher level of activity on the platform, simply due to the general lack of assignments, says Manuel de
Verdier, CEO of Brainville.

In a break with the overall post-pandemic development, the share of assignments allowing for remote work was down in the third quarter when compared to the first half of the year as well as to the third quarter of 2022. Hybrid assignments, allowing only partially for remote work, now account for around 2/3 of the total number of remote assignments.

However, the average difference between rates offered by buyers and consultants asking prices continued to decrease during the third quarter. This meant that an already relatively small price gap closed even more. While the importance of this should not be overstated, it offered a welcome sign of increased stability.

A higher than usual number of available consultants during the summer vacation period could be interpreted as a sign of tougher times. At the same time, the number of assignments on offer decreased across competence areas during the third quarter. This was clearly illustrated by the continuing downward trend for roles in IT & Telecom.

In relative terms however, there were positive signs for roles in Management & Strategy and in Technology & Engineering respectively. The fact that the negative trend for project managers seems to have subsided with the number of assignments on offer leveling out inspires some hope.
– It is usually the first sign of change. Opportunities for system developers are still down, but they are usually is a little behind project managers, says Manuel de Verdier.

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