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A freelancer or (freelance worker) is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment by a single employer is also common.

As a self-employed person, a freelancer is like an employer in terms of bearing many of the same legal and practical responsibilities, but has them only with respect to themself; generally, therefore, freelancers bill their clients at a higher hourly or daily rate than those clients pay, or would pay, full-time employees with the same qualifications, to compensate for the financial burdens and perhaps for the inconvenience or annoyance those responsibilities entail. If the nature of a freelancing market means that most freelancers are unable to find assignments adding up to a normal workweek, rates may also be proportionally higher.

From an employer's point of view, freelancers are a source of labor that can be used to a greater or lesser extent, in response to need, without burdens and problems that having them as direct employees might impose.

From the freelancer's point of view, greater variety of assignments or greater freedom to choose which hours, days, or weeks to work may be important advantages.

Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism and other forms of writing, and computer programming and other technical specialties.