The data on "Freelancer? Seeking freelancer?" is interesting and I think it can be misleading. The disparity between freelancers seeking work and people seekin

The data on "Freelancer? Seeking freelancer?" is interesting and I think it can be misleading. The disparity between freelancers seeking work and people seeking freelancers on HN is huge - way more people looking for work, than people looking to hire. That makes it feel like there is an oversupply of freelancers, which would drive down the pay rates. However, I think it's more of a reflection of the HN audience than the broader market. I.E. HN readers don't hire as many contract/freelance employees. This aligns with what we've seen in practice as well. If software is the company's core competency, they will be less likely to hire contract or outsource. On the other hand, there is a huge need for non-software companies to hire senior devs and they hire a lot of contract/freelance. Demand is high and rates are good ($120-200/hr)...at the right companies. So, if you are a contractor looking for work, I would target companies where software isn't their primary business. Source: I run a company that helps senior software engineers find contract work. (Shameless plug: www.facetdev.com)