Data studies
The most in-demand Upwork skills in 2026, and how crowded each one is
Video editing is tagged on one Upwork job in ten and draws 14.8 proposals per job. API integration draws 59.4. Demand and competition per skill, from 69,246 jobs.
Video editing and graphic design each appear on about one Upwork job in ten.
The 15 skills tagged on the most Upwork jobs, share of jobs with skill tags · share of jobs carrying the skill
Hover or tab through the chart for exact values.
Source: Upsight's job feed: 69,246 Upwork jobs with skill tags posted 20 October to 11 November 2026; 61,645 had a proposal reading about 12 hours after posting.Jobs carrying each skill, top to bottom: 6,878, 6,331, 5,541, 4,499, 3,644, 3,441, 3,434, 3,396, 3,148, 3,056, 2,934, 2,834, 2,693, 2,648, 2,478. A job carries several skills, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Show the data
| Share of jobs | |
|---|---|
| Video Editing | 9.9% |
| Graphic Design | 9.1% |
| Social Media Marketing | 8.0% |
| Lead Generation | 6.5% |
| Data Entry | 5.3% |
| Web Design | 5.0% |
| Web Development | 5.0% |
| Adobe Photoshop | 4.9% |
| Video Production | 4.5% |
| Adobe Illustrator | 4.4% |
| English | 4.2% |
| Sales | 4.1% |
| Administrative Support | 3.9% |
| Marketing Strategy | 3.8% |
| Content Writing | 3.6% |
The most requested skills on Upwork are Video Editing (on 9.9% of jobs), Graphic Design (9.1%), Social Media Marketing (8.0%) and Lead Generation (6.5%), across 69,246 jobs posted 20 October to 11 November 2026. Demand says little about competition. Twelve hours after posting, a Video Editing job averaged 14.8 proposals and a Cold Calling job 6.5, while API Integration averaged 59.4 and Python 50.1, against 21.3 for all jobs.
9.9%
of jobs ask for Video Editing
6,878 of 69,246
21.3
proposals per job at 12 hours
all 61,645 measured jobs
59.4
for API Integration
the most contested large skill
0.01
rank correlation
jobs posted vs proposals per job
Video, design and marketing skills lead demand
Every Upwork job post carries skills: tags the client picks from Upwork's fixed list. A job in our window carried 4.85 of them on average (median 4). Counting each skill once per job gives a clear answer to "which skills are in demand".
Video Editing leads, on 6,878 jobs, and three more video skills (Video Production, Adobe Premiere Pro, Video Post-Editing) sit in the top 17. Graphic Design is second at 6,331, then Social Media Marketing at 5,541 and Lead Generation at 4,499. The first software skills are Web Design (3,441) and Web Development (3,434), in sixth and seventh place.
Demand is concentrated. Clients used 6,947 distinct skill tags in the window, yet the 20 most common appear on 38,459 jobs, 55.5% of the 69,246. Only 57 skills were tagged on 1,000 jobs or more.
A popular skill is not a crowded skill
The instinct is to sell what clients ask for most. The numbers say the size of a skill's market tells you nothing about how many proposals each job gets. Across the 107 skills with at least 500 measured jobs, ranking them by jobs posted and by average proposals at 12 hours gives a rank correlation of 0.01. That is no relationship at all.
Look at the top ten by volume. Five sit below the 21.3 average for all jobs: Video Editing (14.8), Social Media Marketing (15.1), Lead Generation (13.9), Adobe Photoshop (19.7) and Video Production (13.2). Two sit far above it: Web Development at 43.6 and Web Design at 38.8. Both groups post thousands of jobs a month. One is a crowd, the other is not.
Of the 57 skills tagged on 1,000 or more jobs, 35 averaged fewer proposals than the 21.3 for all jobs. Most high-demand work on Upwork is not the most contested work.
Software skills draw two to three times the average number of proposals.
The 12 most contested skills tagged on 1,000 jobs or more · average proposals per job 12 hours after posting
All jobs 21.3
Hover or tab through the chart for exact values.
Source: Upsight's job feed: 69,246 Upwork jobs with skill tags posted 20 October to 11 November 2026; 61,645 had a proposal reading about 12 hours after posting.Measured jobs, top to bottom: 1,171, 1,369, 1,744, 2,815, 1,373, 1,924, 828, 2,820, 1,107, 1,733, 1,103, 1,630.
Show the data
| Proposals at 12 hours | |
|---|---|
| API Integration | 59.4 |
| Python | 50.1 |
| JavaScript | 49.2 |
| Web Development | 43.6 |
| PHP | 41.2 |
| WordPress | 40.2 |
| CSS | 40.1 |
| Web Design | 38.8 |
| HTML | 37.4 |
| Shopify | 32.0 |
| SEO Keyword Research | 29.2 |
| Microsoft Excel | 28.1 |
Ten of the twelve most contested large skills are software. API Integration leads at 59.4 proposals per job, 2.8 times the average for all jobs. Python (50.1) and JavaScript (49.2) follow, then the web stack: PHP, WordPress, CSS, HTML. Below the 1,000-job line the numbers climb further: React averaged 69.6 on 770 measured jobs and Node.js 64.6 on 710.
The same pattern shows at the category level in our proposals per job by category study, where Web, Mobile & Software Dev averaged about twice the marketplace. Skills make it sharper: inside Web Development, a JavaScript job and a WordPress job are different rooms.
The quiet markets: sales, phone and on-site work
At the other end, a proposal is one of a handful. Outbound Sales (6.2), Cold Calling (6.5), Telemarketing (7.1) and Sales (7.2) all average about a third of the market, on more than 1,300 jobs each. Just over half of all Cold Calling jobs had fewer than 5 proposals twelve hours after posting.
Two things likely keep these rooms small. Phone and sales work usually asks for a native accent, a time zone or a commission structure many freelancers will not accept. Videography (8.3) is tied to a place: the client needs someone who can stand behind a camera in their city. The posted pay is low for most of these skills (a median hourly midpoint of $8.50 to $11), Videography being the exception at $27.50.
Sales and phone skills average a third of the proposals other jobs get.
The 12 least contested skills tagged on 1,000 jobs or more · average proposals per job 12 hours after posting
All jobs 21.3
Hover or tab through the chart for exact values.
Source: Upsight's job feed: 69,246 Upwork jobs with skill tags posted 20 October to 11 November 2026; 61,645 had a proposal reading about 12 hours after posting.Measured jobs, top to bottom: 1,282, 2,071, 1,461, 2,662, 1,011, 1,096, 1,187, 1,498, 1,377, 1,306, 2,883, 903.
Show the data
| Proposals at 12 hours | |
|---|---|
| Outbound Sales | 6.2 |
| Cold Calling | 6.5 |
| Telemarketing | 7.1 |
| Sales | 7.2 |
| Videography | 8.3 |
| B2B Marketing | 10.8 |
| Market Research | 11.0 |
| Phone Communication | 11.7 |
| Scheduling | 12.2 |
| Social Media Content Creation | 12.7 |
| Video Production | 13.2 |
| Creative Writing | 13.7 |
The crowd follows the pay, not the volume
If volume does not predict the crowd, what does? Posted pay comes much closer. For hourly jobs, Upwork shows a rate range; we took the midpoint and its median per skill. Across the 89 skills with at least 500 measured jobs and 200 hourly posts, the rank correlation between that median midpoint and proposals per job is 0.45, a moderate link.
The top of the pay table is also the top of the crowd table. Python jobs posted a median midpoint of $32.50 an hour and drew 50.1 proposals; JavaScript and API Integration, $30 and about 49 to 59. At the bottom, Data Entry posted $9 and still drew 24.0, because almost anyone can apply. Pay pulls freelancers in, and a low barrier to entry does too. Our hourly rates by category study shows the same pull at the category level.
The useful exceptions are skills that pay above the median and still draw fewer than average: Videography ($27.50, 8.3 proposals), Creative Writing ($25, 13.7), Adobe Photoshop ($25, 19.7) and Video Production ($20, 13.2).
Half of Cold Calling jobs had under 5 proposals; 44% of React jobs had 50 or more.
Share of jobs by proposal count 12 hours after posting, by skill · share of measured jobs
Hover or tab through the chart for exact values.
Source: Upsight's job feed: 69,246 Upwork jobs with skill tags posted 20 October to 11 November 2026; 61,645 had a proposal reading about 12 hours after posting.Measured jobs, left to right: 2,071, 4,144, 6,311, 61,645, 5,539, 2,815, 770.
Show the data
| Under 5 | 5 to 9 | 10 to 19 | 20 to 49 | 50 or more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Calling | 51.7% | 25.3% | 17.5% | 5.3% | 0.2% |
| Lead Generation | 32.5% | 21.3% | 23.2% | 18.8% | 4.2% |
| Video Editing | 16.9% | 22.0% | 35.1% | 23.6% | 2.3% |
| All jobs | 20.7% | 17.9% | 25.4% | 26.2% | 9.8% |
| Graphic Design | 9.8% | 15.7% | 29.6% | 33.7% | 11.3% |
| Web Development | 6.5% | 9.4% | 19.3% | 34.4% | 30.3% |
| React | 1.8% | 4.4% | 14.5% | 35.1% | 44.2% |
AI skills: a small share of jobs, the biggest crowds
AI is the skill every agency wants to sell. In this window, 1,747 jobs (2.5%) carried at least one AI-named skill, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, AI Agent Development, ChatGPT or Generative AI. Those jobs averaged 57.6 proposals at twelve hours (median 33) on 1,474 measured, against 20.4 (median 13) for the 60,171 measured jobs without one: 2.8 times the crowd.
They also post more pay: a median hourly midpoint of $30.50 across 944 hourly AI jobs, against $18.50 for the rest. That fits the pattern above: the better the posted pay, the bigger the crowd. An AI job is a high-paying software job, and it draws like one.
The two largest AI skills, Artificial Intelligence (872 jobs, 52.9 proposals) and Machine Learning (550 jobs, 42.8), are both well above the average. The narrower build skills (agents, chatbots, model integration) look more crowded still, but each has fewer than 200 measured jobs in the window, so we do not rank them.
What to do with this as an agency
- 1
Put the skills you already sell next to their crowd
List the five skills your team delivers and look each one up in the table below. A team that does Shopify (32.0) and Photoshop (19.7) is in two different markets, and should not bid the same way in both.
- 2
In crowded skills, arrive early and read the room
Above 40 proposals, the client has read dozens of letters before yours by the twelfth hour. Bid inside the first hour or two, and spend boost Connects only on jobs that clearly fit. See is boosting worth it.
- 3
In quiet skills, go back to the jobs the crowd skipped
Under 10 proposals, a well-fitted letter is near the top whenever it lands. Late bidding on jobs still thin after twelve hours costs little and reaches clients who have few options.
- 4
Look for adjacent skills that pay well and draw fewer
Videography, Creative Writing and Video Production post above-median pay with below-average crowds. A video team that films as well as edits competes against 8.3 proposals instead of 14.8.
- 5
Match the profile to the skill tags clients use
Clients pick tags from Upwork's fixed list, and Upwork uses skills in matching. Use the exact tag names in your profile skills and title. Our profile title study shows how much the exact phrase matters in search.
Upsight reads the same twelve-hour count for the keywords an agency tracks. Its campaigns sweep the job feed every 15 minutes, score each job against criteria the agency writes and what it has won, and size a boost bid to the live auction. The rank checker shows where your profiles sit for each keyword you sell, and who ranks above.
The 30 most requested skills
| Skill | Group | Jobs | Share of jobs | Avg proposals at 12 h | Median at 12 h | Median hourly midpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Editing | Design & Creative | 6,878 | 9.9% | 14.8 | 12 | $18.50 |
| Graphic Design | Design & Creative | 6,331 | 9.1% | 24.2 | 18 | $23.75 |
| Social Media Marketing | Sales & Marketing | 5,541 | 8.0% | 15.1 | 11 | $16.50 |
| Lead Generation | Sales & Marketing | 4,499 | 6.5% | 13.9 | 8 | $11.50 |
| Data Entry | Admin Support | 3,644 | 5.3% | 24.0 | 15 | $9.00 |
| Web Design | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 3,441 | 5.0% | 38.8 | 27 | $22.50 |
| Web Development | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 3,434 | 5.0% | 43.6 | 29 | $22.50 |
| Adobe Photoshop | Design & Creative | 3,396 | 4.9% | 19.7 | 15 | $25.00 |
| Video Production | Design & Creative | 3,148 | 4.5% | 13.2 | 10 | $20.00 |
| Adobe Illustrator | Design & Creative | 3,056 | 4.4% | 22.3 | 17 | $25.00 |
| English | Writing | 2,934 | 4.2% | 14.1 | 9 | $17.50 |
| Sales | Sales & Marketing | 2,834 | 4.1% | 7.2 | 4 | $11.00 |
| Administrative Support | Admin Support | 2,693 | 3.9% | 24.2 | 17 | $10.00 |
| Marketing Strategy | Sales & Marketing | 2,648 | 3.8% | 16.8 | 12 | $18.00 |
| Content Writing | Sales & Marketing | 2,478 | 3.6% | 16.1 | 11 | $19.00 |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Design & Creative | 2,449 | 3.5% | 15.3 | 13 | $18.50 |
| Video Post-Editing | Design & Creative | 2,442 | 3.5% | 15.3 | 13 | $18.50 |
| Sales & Marketing | 2,436 | 3.5% | 17.7 | 14 | $16.00 | |
| Search Engine Optimization | Sales & Marketing | 2,417 | 3.5% | 27.4 | 19 | $16.50 |
| Customer Service | Admin Support | 2,413 | 3.5% | 18.0 | 10 | $9.00 |
| WordPress | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 2,403 | 3.5% | 40.2 | 29 | $22.50 |
| Social Media Management | Sales & Marketing | 2,290 | 3.3% | 14.3 | 11 | $13.00 |
| Email Communication | Admin Support | 2,252 | 3.3% | 24.5 | 17 | $10.00 |
| Cold Calling | Sales & Marketing | 2,218 | 3.2% | 6.5 | 4 | $8.50 |
| JavaScript | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 2,130 | 3.1% | 49.2 | 30 | $30.00 |
| Shopify | Web, Mobile & Software Dev | 2,070 | 3.0% | 32.0 | 22 | $18.50 |
| Communications | Admin Support | 1,969 | 2.8% | 15.5 | 9 | $10.00 |
| Sales & Marketing | 1,957 | 2.8% | 15.3 | 12 | $15.00 | |
| Virtual Assistance | Admin Support | 1,946 | 2.8% | 20.2 | 15 | $8.00 |
| Microsoft Excel | Admin Support | 1,929 | 2.8% | 28.1 | 19 | $12.50 |
Group is the Upwork group where most of the skill's jobs sit. Hourly midpoint is the middle of the posted rate range, for hourly jobs only.
How we measured it
Questions
What are the most in-demand skills on Upwork in 2026?
Across 69,246 Upwork jobs posted 20 October to 11 November 2026, the most requested skills were Video Editing (9.9% of jobs), Graphic Design (9.1%), Social Media Marketing (8.0%), Lead Generation (6.5%) and Data Entry (5.3%). Web Design and Web Development followed at about 5% each.
Which Upwork skills have the least competition?
Among skills tagged on 1,000 jobs or more, Outbound Sales (6.2 proposals per job at 12 hours), Cold Calling (6.5), Telemarketing (7.1), Sales (7.2) and Videography (8.3) had the fewest. The average for all jobs was 21.3.
Which Upwork skills are the most competitive?
API Integration averaged 59.4 proposals per job twelve hours after posting, Python 50.1 and JavaScript 49.2, among skills tagged on 1,000 jobs or more. React averaged 69.6 on 770 measured jobs. Jobs with an AI skill averaged 57.6.
Are AI skills in demand on Upwork?
Yes, but they are crowded. 1,747 of 69,246 jobs (2.5%) carried an AI-named skill between 20 October and 11 November 2026. Those jobs averaged 57.6 proposals at twelve hours, 2.8 times the 20.4 for other jobs, and posted a median hourly midpoint of $30.50.
Do in-demand Upwork skills get more proposals?
No. Across 107 skills the rank correlation between jobs posted and proposals per job was 0.01. Pay matters more: skills with a higher posted hourly rate drew more proposals (correlation 0.45). Video Editing is the most posted skill and averaged 14.8 proposals, below the 21.3 average.
Orhan G. Yalçın
Founder of Upsight and of Vizio AI, an Upwork agency that bids with Upsight every day. Every number on this blog comes with its sample, window and method. More about how we measure.
Terms in this post: Skills · Proposals at 12 hours · Keyword difficulty · Search volume · Late bidding · Boosted proposal
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