Job seekers flood IT staffing site

From Computerworld, December 17, 2008...

Last month, about 20,000 people signed up looking for jobs on oDesk Corp.'s online staffing marketplace, which links job seekers with employers offering contract work. It was the largest monthly increase -- by at least 40% -- that the company's CEO, Gary Swart, has seen since joining oDesk in 2005. Swart said says he expects another 15,000 people to sign up this month.

At the same time, the number of contract jobs advertised on the site has doubled over the past year to approximately 4,600, Swart said.

The increase may be a sign that like outsourcing, contract work may be countercyclical in a troubled economy. "We're seeing companies that are trying to do more with less," said Swart. There are now 157,000 providers, or work seekers, on the site. About a third of those are in the U.S.

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