
Freelance platform Upwork Inc. on Tuesday announced Lifted, a wholly owned subsidiary tasked with serving enterprise customers via an all-in-one package of talent sourcing, contracting and workforce needs.
The subsidiary is modeled to meet contingent hiring needs across every classification and contract type in a bid by Upwork to extend its infrastructure for flexible work in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
Lifted’s self-described contract- and country-agnostic platform is built to unify sourcing and management of independent contractors, agent of record (AOR), employer of record (EOR), staff augmentation and statement of work (SOW) engagements. The subsidiary integrates seamlessly into customers’ existing contingent workforce programs by partnering with managed service providers (MSPs) and vendor management systems (VMSs).
“Our clients have been asking for comprehensive ways to engage the unparalleled talent on Upwork for their full spectrum of contingent workforce needs, going beyond independent contractor relationships,” Upwork CEO Hayden Brown said in a statement. “This marks an exciting new chapter for large businesses. Legacy providers have forced them to choose between flexibility and compliance, speed and scale, or digital ease and enterprise rigor. With Lifted, these tradeoffs become a thing of the past. Customers get unparalleled value from a digitally native, fully flexible contingent work solution that integrates into their existing ecosystems.”
As large-scale organizations navigate increasingly complex workforce models, infrastructure must adapt to manage more sophisticated requirements and expectations, said Ernesto Lamaina, general manager of Lifted.
“We created Lifted to address this challenge head-on. Our solution isn’t just another staffing vendor or employer of record,” Lamaina said. “It offers the industry’s only tech-enabled platform with the visibility, compliance, and control companies need to scale their contingent workforces across borders, classifications and procurement models. With Lifted, we’re redefining what it means to power the modern contingent workforce.”
Lifted’s capabilities are underpinned by its previously announced acquisition of Bubty, a modular workforce management platform, and Ascen, a digitally native solution for W-2 compliance and employment.