Artificial intelligence may be speeding up work—but it’s also creating a new problem: “workslop.”
That’s the term Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK) is using to describe the messy, error-prone output from unmonitored AI tools—a productivity drag that’s quietly costing businesses hours each week. According to Upwork’s September 2025 Monthly Hiring Report, companies are now racing to hire humans to clean up after AI, fueling surging demand for translation, quality assurance, and project management roles.
The report, drawing from over 1 million job postings on Upwork’s marketplace and surveys from the Upwork Research Institute, offers a real-time view of how the freelance economy—an estimated $1.5 trillion market—is evolving in the AI era.
The Rise of the “AI Fixers”
The report’s top takeaway: businesses aren’t replacing people with AI—they’re hiring people to make AI work better.
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Translation & localization demand jumped 29%, as companies realized machine translation often needs human correction.
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Quality assurance testing rose 9%, reflecting the need for oversight and validation of AI-driven outputs.
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Sales & marketing copywriting climbed 12%, highlighting continued demand for authentic, human creativity.
“The future of work is human-AI collaboration, not substitution,” said Erica Gessert, Upwork’s CFO. “From translation to QA, human involvement is essential to turn AI’s potential into business value.”
Upwork data also revealed that 40% of employees experience “workslop”, wasting an average of two hours per incident. That inefficiency has created new demand for freelancers skilled in correction, validation, and quality control—roles that blend technical literacy with human judgment.
SMBs Lean on Project Managers and Recruiters
Among small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), demand for project management skyrocketed—up 102% month-over-month—as companies prepare for 2026 planning cycles. Recruiting and HR roles also grew 26%, while virtual assistant demand rose 11%, showing a renewed emphasis on structure, oversight, and organization.
Stanford University’s Professor Nicholas Bloom said the spike signals “organizational adaptation under AI pressures,” as companies rebuild human infrastructure to complement automation.
Digital Marketing and the Generative Search Shift
As generative AI reshapes online discovery, digital marketing contracts jumped 9%, driven by a pivot toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—new disciplines emerging in response to AI-powered search.
Upwork data shows:
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SEO and SEM demand up 8% and 7%, respectively, among SMBs.
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Video and animation grew 8%.
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53% of businesses expect to hire freelance digital marketers in the next three months.
Top 10 Most In-Demand AI-Related Skills (September 2025)
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Python
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Video editing
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Graphic design
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ChatGPT
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AI-generated video (new)
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Machine learning
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Virtual assistance (new)
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Content writing (new)
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Data entry (new)
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Adobe Illustrator (new)
“These skills show that AI isn’t replacing human talent—it’s extending it,” said Dr. Teng Liu, economist at the Upwork Research Institute. “Companies are using AI to automate redundancy, but humans still define quality, context, and creativity.”
Why It Matters
Upwork’s latest data reinforces a key narrative in the 2025 workforce: AI is amplifying the value of human skills, not erasing them. As organizations double down on quality assurance, communication, and creative refinement, the freelance economy has become the testing ground for the future of human-AI collaboration.
With 39% of businesses citing “lack of trust” in AI accuracy as a major barrier, the rise of the AI quality economy—the freelancers who validate, edit, and enhance machine output—may be just beginning.
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