Crowdsourcing harnesses that power for a variety of projects: from getting the best graphics for your website to involving tens to hundreds of people in doing simple data-crunching tasks that computers are still not qualified for. Researchers have used it to track hurricanes or to take the pulse of their target market. Some businesses have found that using crowdsourcing has let them get projects done quicker and more cheaply than if they had them done in-house or hired out the work to a specific company. The Oxford Workforce's 2020 Report projects that 83 percent of companies will use a flexible workforce over the next three years.

With the creation of the internet, online crowdsourcing has made it increasingly convenient for businesses to take advantage of this new way of hiring labor. Companies can access skilled and unskilled labor across the world without concern for time zones, labor laws or dealing with different currencies. Crowdsourcing companies handle the details of contracting the freelancer and handling the payments.