The research conducted as part of this project is centred around an online experimental design using the Online Digital Employment Platform, Upwork. Using a 2×2 factorial design, we study the performance effects of advertising the same job on an online platform as entry level or expert level (as per Ke & Zhu, 2021)., and of offering a fixed fee or allowing freelancers to name their own fee (as per Charness et al., 2012).
Whilst data analysis is still on-going it appears that the ability to wage set, the freelancers profile rate, and the number of completed and billed assignments on the freelancer’s profile are proving significant to performance on the task. Furthering this analysis will provide insights for employers on the platform on effective job advert design, and how to select effective freelancers.