A slew of interconnected and interdependent trends and the multitude of both long- and short-term factors associated with these have been affecting Serbian gig workers in global online work markets.

Serbian gig workers return to online platforms. The latest measurement indicates a reversal in the trend observed over the previous several reporting periods. Over the past six months, the number of Serbian gig workers on the dominant platform, Upwork, has increased by 4%.

Growth continues alongside further concentration in the Belgrade region. Although Serbian gig workers are active in more than 360 cities, municipalities, and villages, digital work remains highly concentrated in urban areas. Belgrade has further strengthened its dominant position and now accounts for over 42% of all Serbian gig workers.

The number of administrative workers increased by one quarter. The most significant change in the digital labor market was recorded in Data entry and administrative support services, where the number of gig workers increased by 25.6%. As a result, this occupational group now represents 15.8% of the entire gig workforce, despite a 4.8% decline in the average hourly rate in this profession.

The gender gap narrowed slightly, but women still represent only one third of the gig workforce. The number of female gig workers grew faster than that of male gig workers (5.7% compared with 3.1%), resulting in a modest increase in women’s share of the gig workforce to 35.8%.

The average hourly rate stabilized at nearly USD 24. The average requested hourly rate remained virtually unchanged compared to the previous measurement, increasing by only 0.2% to almost USD 24 per hour. However, substantial differences persist across occupations. Professional services recorded the highest increase in hourly rates (+5.8%) and continue to be the highest-paid occupational category. At the same time, the gender pay gap remains pronounced, with women charging, on average, 81.9% of the hourly rate requested by men.

A “New face” of inequality. In the lowest-paid occupations, male gig workers are now in an even less favorable position than female gig workers. In Data entry and administrative support services, male gig workers request hourly rates that are, on average, almost USD 1 lower than those requested by female gig workers. Combined with the already low pay levels in this occupation, this places male workers in the weakest earnings position across all occupations and both genders.

Macroeconomic context

Economic activity accelerated during the first half of 2026, with GDP growth reaching 2.8%, up from 2.0% in 2025, exceeding earlier expectations. This stronger economic performance is expected to have a positive impact on the traditional labor market by increasing labor demand. At the same time, it may generate spillover effects on the digital labour market by reducing the supply of workers available for gig work.

Global innovation, technological, and regulatory context

The global slowdown in innovation and declining investment continue to weigh on demand for digital services. Together with the potential economic consequences of the conflict in the Middle East, these developments could affect opportunities for Serbian gig workers. Nevertheless, given the relatively strong economic performance of the major markets driving demand for digital labor, particularly advanced economies, no significant adverse effects on Serbian gig workers are currently expected.

Strong supply amid limited domestic demand

Serbia remains one of the leading countries in the global supply of digital labor. However, domestic demand for gig services remains relatively weak, despite the substantial need among Serbian businesses for the types of services provided by gig workers. As a result, the development of Serbia’s gig economy continues to depend largely on labor demand in the United States and other technologically advanced economies.

AI: An opportunity accompanied by significant risks

The continued advancement of artificial intelligence is expected to increase demand for gig workers with strong digital skills, data literacy, and advanced analytical and creative capabilities. At the same time, remaining competitive in the global digital labor market will require continuous learning, upskilling, and, in many cases, reskilling to adapt to rapidly evolving technological requirements.

Growth in labor supply and platform engagement

Following the contraction observed in the previous reporting period, both the number of Serbian gig workers and their level of engagement on online platforms have increased. This recovery reflects the combined influence of domestic factors—particularly developments in Serbia’s technology sector—and global factors, most notably sustained international demand for digital labor, especially from the United States.

Strong preference for long-term engagements and greater inclusiveness

Preferences for longer-term work arrangements remain high, with 46.2% of Serbian gig workers expressing a preference for long-term engagements. At the same time, the digital labor market continues to provide opportunities for new entrants with relevant skills. Gender-related indicators also continue to improve, both in terms of women’s participation in the gig workforce and the gradual narrowing of gender pay disparities.

Conclusion: What to expect in 2026

Although recent trends are encouraging, the outlook remains subject to considerable uncertainty. Future developments in Serbia’s gig economy will largely depend on global demand for digital labor, economic conditions in key client markets, intensifying international competition—particularly price competition from Asian labor markets—and, critically, the ability of Serbian gig workers to continuously acquire new digital skills and adapt to the rapidly changing demands of the global platform economy.

Despite the overall increase in the number of gig workers, the regional distribution has remained largely unchanged. As many as 83.6% of Serbian gig workers live and work in urban areas, confirming the continued concentration of digital labor in cities, even though gig workers are present in more than 360 towns, municipalities, and villages across Serbia. Regional developments, however, were heterogeneous. The number of gig workers declined in the Šumadija and Western Serbia region, the number of female gig workers decreased in Southern and Eastern Serbia, while Vojvodina experienced stagnation or a slight decline in its overall gig workforce.Read more ...

Overall trends
The latest measurement suggests a modest shift in the geographic distribution of gig workers away from the largest urban centers towards smaller cities. Although the number of cities accounting for more than 1% of the national gig workforce declined from 11 to 10, the composition of this group changed. Alongside the major administrative centers, Subotica, Pančevo, Zrenjanin, Kruševac, and Leskovac continue to account for a significant share of Serbia’s gig workforce, while Smederevo entered this group for the first time. At the same time, Čačak and Kraljevo recorded a more pronounced decline, with each city’s share falling to 0.9% of the total gig population.

Concentration in major administrative centers
Data from the administrative centers of Serbia’s NUTS 2 regions further confirm the strong concentration of digital labor in the country’s largest urban areas. Although recent changes have been relatively modest, they reveal an increasingly asymmetric regional pattern.

The latest measurement confirms the continued growth of Belgrade’s dominance. Belgrade now accounts for 42.2% of Serbia’s entire gig workforce, representing an additional increase of 0.5 percentage points compared with the previous reporting period. In contrast, all other major regional centers experienced declines in their respective shares. Novi Sad now accounts for 12.7% of the national gig workforce, Niš for 7.5%, and Kragujevac for only 1.9%.

Urbanization trends
The previous trend towards further urban concentration has slowed in the latest reporting period, although changes remain incremental. The share of Serbian gig workers residing in the country’s 28 largest cities declined by 1.3 percentage points, yet these urban centers still account for 83.6% of the total gig workforce.

Regional differences in workforce dynamics
The regional distribution of Serbia’s gig workforce changed as a result of differing regional growth dynamics. All regions except Šumadija and Western Serbia recorded an increase in the number of gig workers.

The strongest growth was observed in the Belgrade region (+5.8%), followed by Vojvodina (+4.5%). Southern and Eastern Serbia, while considerably smaller in absolute terms, also recorded positive growth of 2.6%. By contrast, Šumadija and Western Serbia was the only region to experience a decline, with the gig workforce contracting by 0.4%.

Regional gender structure
Regional gender dynamics exhibited even greater variation, with no consistent nationwide pattern emerging.

The number of female gig workers declined in two regions: Southern and Eastern Serbia (-2.8%) and, more markedly, Šumadija and Western Serbia (-5.1%). In contrast, Vojvodina experienced a substantial increase in the number of female gig workers (+13.5%), while the Belgrade region also recorded significant growth (+7.1%), particularly given the already large size of its gig workforce.

The dynamics for male gig workers differed considerably. With the exception of Vojvodina, where the male gig workforce remained virtually unchanged (-0.1%), all other regions recorded growth. The largest increase was observed in Southern and Eastern Serbia (+5.1%), followed closely by the Belgrade region (+5.0%), while Šumadija and Western Serbia recorded a more modest increase of 1.7%.

Using the Oxford Online Labor Index (OLI) Institute taxonomy, the distribution of Serbian gig workers is presented across six occupational categories: professional services; data entry and administrative support; creative and multimedia services; sales and marketing; software development; and writing and translation.

Occupational trends were mixed during the latest reporting period. Three occupational groups experienced growth, while the remaining three recorded a decline. Moreover, where growth occurred, it was substantially stronger than the contractions observed in declining occupations.

The most notable increase was recorded in data entry and administrative support, where the number of gig workers expanded by 25.6%. This may partly reflect the substitution of administrative staff within technology companies as AI adoption becomes more widespread. By contrast, the largest relative decline occurred in professional services (-3.9%). Given the relatively small number of active gig workers in this occupational category, even modest changes in worker numbers translate into more pronounced percentage fluctuations. Read more ...

Diverging Occupational Trends

The number of gig workers increased in data entry and administrative support, sales and marketing, and creative and multimedia services.

The most pronounced growth occurred in data entry and administrative support, where the workforce expanded by more than one quarter. Sales and marketing also recorded strong growth (+6.8%), while the largest occupational group—creative and multimedia services—grew more modestly (+2.5%). Nevertheless, this represented a meaningful increase in absolute terms, with nearly 100 new workers entering this segment of the market.

By contrast, software development experienced a slight contraction (-0.9%), while more substantial declines were observed in professional services (-3.9%) and writing and translation (-2.7%).

Changes in the Relative Importance of Occupations

These divergent growth patterns also altered the occupational composition of Serbia’s digital labor market.

The exceptionally strong expansion of data entry and administrative support, combined with slower growth—or outright decline—in the remaining occupational categories, significantly increased the relative importance of this occupation. Its share of the total gig workforce rose by 2.7 percentage points, reaching 15.8%.

Moreover, this trend appears to be more structural than temporary. Since the previous reporting period also recorded growth only in this occupational category, the observed changes are likely driven by longer-term rather than short-term factors.

At the same time, this development may increase the vulnerability of Serbia’s digital labor market. As artificial intelligence technologies continue to advance and become more widely adopted, data entry and administrative support is likely to be among the occupations most exposed to technological substitution.

The largest decline in relative importance was recorded in writing and translation, which now accounts for only one in ten Serbian gig workers.

Labor Market Restructuring with Emerging Patterns

A key feature of the latest measurement is the absence of a clear and uniform restructuring pattern across occupations. With the exception of data entry and administrative support and writing and translation, current developments show limited continuity with previous trends.

Over the past year, data entry and administrative support has consistently recorded substantial growth in the number of gig workers. This trend is likely attributable, at least in part, to the growing replacement of traditional administrative roles by AI-enabled work processes within technology companies.

In contrast, writing and translation has experienced not only the largest decline in relative importance during the latest reporting period but has also shown a persistent downward trend across previous measurements. This suggests that the contraction is structural rather than temporary. The findings may indicate that gig workers in this occupation are finding it increasingly difficult to secure work, most likely because writing and translation tasks are among those most directly affected by recent advances in generative artificial intelligence.

Although the number of female gig workers increased considerably faster than that of male gig workers (5.7% compared with 3.1%), this growth resulted in only a modest improvement in gender balance within Serbia’s digital labor market. Nevertheless, the positive trend observed in the previous reporting period continued. Compared with many countries worldwide, Serbia continues to exhibit a moderately balanced gender composition of its gig workforce. At the same time, women’s participation remains well below both the global average of nearly 40% and the participation rates typically observed in Serbia’s traditional labor market.Read more ...

Growth Without Major Structural Change

The number of female gig workers increased at a substantially faster rate than the number of male gig workers (5.7% versus 3.1%). However, this difference translated into only modest changes in the overall gender structure of Serbia’s digital labor market.

Women now account for 35.8% of Serbia’s gig workforce, representing an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared with the previous reporting period. Although relatively small, this continues the positive trend identified in the previous measurement, when women’s share increased by more than 2 percentage points.

From an international perspective, Serbia can be characterized as having a moderately gender-balanced digital labor market among countries with comparable or lower levels of economic development. Women’s participation in Serbia’s gig economy is substantially higher than in countries such as Ukraine and Mexico, but remains well below the levels observed in countries such as Argentina (65%) and South Africa (51%).

Differences in occupational dynamics between women and men, together with varying growth rates within individual occupations, resulted in a slightly more balanced gender composition of Serbia’s digital labor market compared with the previous reporting period.

Female gig workers continue to be more strongly represented in data entry and administrative support and writing and translation, while male gig workers have become the majority in professional services. Nevertheless, gender differences are generally moderate across occupations. The most pronounced female overrepresentation remains in data entry and administrative support, where the number of women exceeds that of men by 15.9%. Read more ...

Gender differences across occupations

Although both the male and female gig workforce expanded overall, changes in the occupational structure were more nuanced.

The same directional trends for both genders were observed in data entry and administrative support, creative and multimedia services, sales and marketing, and writing and translation. However, writing and translation was the only occupation in which both men and women recorded a decline.

The remaining two occupations displayed divergent gender dynamics. In software development, the number of female gig workers increased, while the number of male gig workers declined. Conversely, professional services recorded a substantial decline in the number of women (-10.1%) alongside a modest increase in the number of men (+3.5%).

Despite these changes, male gig workers continue to dominate the occupations in which they have traditionally been the majority. This is particularly evident in software development, where the number of men remains 6.9 times greater than the number of women. Men also substantially outnumber women in creative and multimedia services (+86.9%) and sales and marketing (+28.2%).

Professional services remains the only occupational category where the gender balance has fluctuated noticeably across reporting periods. Following the latest changes, men now outnumber women by 3.9% in this occupation.

Common gender trends

In four of the six occupational categories, both men and women experienced changes in the same direction.

Employment increased for both genders in data entry and administrative support, creative and multimedia services, and sales and marketing. The strongest gender difference was observed in sales and marketing, where the number of female gig workers grew by 14.5%, compared with 2.6% for men.

In the remaining two expanding occupations, growth rates were more similar. In data entry and administrative support, the number of male gig workers increased by 25.8%, compared with 25.4% among women. In creative and multimedia services, the male workforce grew by 3.5%, while the number of women increased by 1.3%.

The only occupation in which both genders experienced contraction was writing and translation. Here, the decline was slightly more pronounced among women (-2.9%) than among men (-2.6%).

Divergent occupational dynamics

The remaining two occupational categories—software development and professional services—displayed opposite trends for men and women.

In software development, the number of female gig workers increased by 3.3%, while the male workforce declined by 1.5%. Although noteworthy, these changes have only limited practical significance because the occupation continues to be overwhelmingly male-dominated.

The opposite pattern emerged in professional services. The number of female gig workers declined sharply (-10.1%), while the male workforce increased by 3.5%. As a result, men became the majority in an occupation where gender representation had previously been more balanced.

Differences in occupational structure by gender

The occupational composition of the gig workforce differs substantially between men and women, both in terms of occupational concentration and the relative importance of individual occupations.

The occupational profile of male gig workers is considerably more concentrated. Nearly 70% of all male gig workers are employed in just two occupations—creative and multimedia services and software development.

Among female gig workers, occupational concentration is lower. The two largest occupations—creative and multimedia services and data entry and administrative support—account for just under 55% of the female gig workforce.

Moreover, the remaining occupations are distributed relatively evenly among women, with individual occupational shares ranging from 9.1% in software development to 16.5% in writing and translation.

By comparison, among men the remaining occupations beyond the two dominant categories each represent relatively small shares of employment, ranging from 4.8% in professional services to 9.4% in data entry and administrative support.

The cumulative earnings of Serbian gig workers who were active during the latest reporting period exceeded USD 160 million, representing an increase of more than 6.5% compared with the previous measurement.

Despite the faster growth in the number of female gig workers, women accounted for only 23% of total cumulative earnings, a slight decline from the previous reporting period and still well below their 35.8% share of the overall gig workforce.

The average cumulative earnings of female gig workers amounted to USD 11,946, compared with USD 22,277 for male gig workers. This substantial difference points to persistent gender inequalities in income within Serbia’s digital labor market.

These disparities are likely driven by several mutually reinforcing factors, including lower average hourly rates among women, the concentration of male gig workers in higher-paying occupations, and differences in work intensity. The findings also suggest that women may be more likely to engage in platform work on a part-time or occasional basis, whereas men are more likely to rely on gig work as a primary career choice.Read more ...

Factors influencing aggregate earnings

The observed gender gap in cumulative earnings reflects the combined effects of several structural factors.

First, the significantly larger number of male gig workers increases the overall earnings gap and amplifies the effects of labor market sorting. Second, men are more heavily concentrated in occupations that typically command higher pay. Third, male gig workers also earn higher average hourly rates than their female counterparts.

In addition, women appear more likely to participate in platform work on a part-time or occasional basis, which further reduces cumulative annual earnings relative to men.

The only factor working in the opposite direction is labor market participation among active workers. At the time of measurement, a slightly higher proportion of female gig workers (35.3%) were actively engaged in paid work compared with men. Although this partially offsets the overall earnings gap, its effect is relatively modest in comparison with the combined influence of the other structural factors.

Following the decline recorded in the previous reporting period, the latest measurement indicates a period of relative stability in hourly rates, with the average requested hourly rate increasing by only 0.2% to USD 23.9 per hour.

Beneath this overall stability, however, occupational trends diverged considerably. The largest decline was recorded in data entry and administrative support (-4.8%), while professional services experienced the strongest increase (+5.8%).Read more ...

Stability in average hourly rates

After many years of sustained growth, interrupted by the decline observed in the previous reporting period, hourly rates remained broadly unchanged during the latest measurement, increasing by only 0.2% on average.

This stagnation likely reflects heightened uncertainty in the global political, economic, regulatory, and technological environment, together with the relatively high pricing of Serbian gig workers compared with workers from major global supplier countries such as India and Pakistan.

With an average requested hourly rate of USD 23.9, Serbian gig workers continue to charge slightly more than the average for Central and Eastern Europe (USD 23.0), although they remain 13.1% below the average hourly rate of gig workers in Western Europe (USD 27.0).

Substantial differences persist across occupations. Data entry and administrative support remains the lowest-paid occupation, where the average requested hourly rate represents only 41.3% of the rate charged by workers in the highest-paid occupation—professional services.

The highest average hourly rates continue to be recorded in professional services (USD 30.1 per hour) and software development (USD 29.2 per hour).

Diverging occupational trends

One of the defining characteristics of the latest reporting period is the absence of a uniform pattern across occupations.

While average hourly rates remained stable overall, occupational trends moved in different directions.

The sharpest decline occurred in data entry and administrative support, where the average requested hourly rate fell by 4.8% (approximately USD 0.62 per hour). A marginal decline (-0.2%) was also observed in writing and translation, although its practical effect on earnings was limited.

All remaining occupations recorded increases in hourly rates, albeit at different rates.

The strongest growth occurred in professional services (+5.8%), corresponding to an increase of approximately USD 1.7 per hour. Together with the more modest increase in software development (+2.1%), this further strengthened the position of these occupations as the highest-paying segments of Serbia’s digital labor market.

Hourly rates also increased in creative and multimedia services (+2.2%) and sales and marketing (+1.1%), broadly continuing the long-term trends observed in previous reporting periods.

Gender differences across occupations

Gender-specific wage dynamics varied considerably across occupations.

In most occupations, men and women experienced changes in the same direction.

Hourly rates increased for both genders in professional services, creative and multimedia services, and software development.

In professional services, hourly rates increased somewhat faster among men (+6.1%) than among women (+5.5%). By contrast, women experienced stronger growth in creative and multimedia services (+3.5% versus +1.6% for men) and especially in software development, where women’s requested hourly rates increased by 6.3%, compared with 2.1% among men.

Both genders experienced declining hourly rates in data entry and administrative support, although the decline was more pronounced among men (-5.6%) than among women (-4.1%).

Narrowing and widening gender pay gaps

Male gig workers continue to command higher hourly rates than women in most—but not all—occupations.

One of the most noteworthy findings of the latest measurement is that men now earn less than women in the lowest-paid occupation. In data entry and administrative support, male gig workers request hourly rates that are almost USD 1 lower than those requested by female gig workers. Combined with the already low earnings associated with this occupation, this places men in the weakest earnings position across all occupations and both genders.

In writing and translation, gender differences are negligible, suggesting an almost gender-neutral pay structure.

In occupations where men continue to earn more, the size of the gender pay gap varies considerably.

The differences are relatively modest in professional services, where men’s hourly rates exceed women’s by only 0.8%, and in creative and multimedia services, where the gap amounts to 4.8%.
By contrast, the largest gender gaps are observed in sales and marketing, where men charge 27% higher hourly rates than women, and in software development, where the difference reaches 34.9%.
Earning potential

The combination of differing occupational trends and varying rates of change resulted in a slight narrowing of the overall gender pay gap.

Female gig workers now request, on average, 81.9% of the hourly rate charged by men, compared with 81.6% in the previous reporting period.

Assuming full-time engagement (176 working hours per month), the lowest potential monthly earnings are observed in data entry and administrative support, where workers could earn approximately USD 2,258 gross (USD 1,717 net).

At the opposite end of the earnings distribution, professional services offer the highest earning potential, reaching approximately USD 5,466 gross (USD 4,163 net) per month under the same assumption.

Changes in hourly rates also translated into meaningful differences in potential monthly earnings.

Among male gig workers, the largest gains were recorded in professional services, where full-time workers could earn approximately USD 305 more per month (gross) than six months earlier. Conversely, male workers in data entry and administrative support experienced the largest decline, with potential monthly earnings decreasing by approximately USD 125 (gross).

Among female gig workers, earnings prospects improved substantially in professional services, sales and marketing, and software development, where increases in hourly rates translated into more than USD 200 in additional potential monthly gross earnings compared with the previous reporting period.

Gigmetar^TM is the first instrument that describes the geography of digital work in Serbia and the region in terms of gender, income, and most common occupations. It is a result of the efforts made by RE:PEOPLE (former Public Policy Research Centre) to shed more light on the work on online platforms.

Re:People – Centre for society and technology is a team of innovative researchers and digital enthusiasts investigating the future of work and development of the digital economy in Serbia and South-East Europe.

Contact: gigmetar@repeople.rs