Upwork launches on-demand hiring feature in public beta

Upwork Inc., a company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol UPWK, has announced the public beta launch of its new feature called Upwork Now. This innovative service is designed to enable clients to quickly hire freelancers for immediate tasks. According to a company press release, Upwork Now allows clients to instantly view freelancers who are online and ready to work, review candidates, and finalize hires within mere minutes.

Freelancers, for their part, can signal their availability and connect with clients who require immediate assistance.

Upwork Now can be accessed through Upwork's website or within AI tools via the company's newly launched AI Model Context Protocol server. This server, introduced earlier this year, facilitates access to Upwork's marketplace from compatible AI applications. In early testing conducted from October 7 to October 26, 2026, clients who used Upwork Now and completed a hire within an hour typically finished the process in under 30 minutes.

In some cases, the hiring was completed in less than 10 minutes, with an average freelancer response time of about five minutes.

A survey of 150 U.S.-based clients conducted by Upwork in April 2026 revealed that 57% of respondents preferred to hire within a day or less. Peter Sanborn, Upwork's Chief Business Officer, emphasized that the more swiftly people work with AI, the more crucial it becomes to have the right expert available the moment a task demands human judgment, creativity, or careful review.

Clients utilizing Upwork.com can activate the Hire Now feature when posting job listings to attract available professionals. Freelancers can also enable Work Now from their homepage or profile to signal their availability. The company has stated that freelancers will soon be able to manage their availability through AI tools. Upwork Now is available to all clients and freelancers on the platform at no additional cost.

Operating on the same trust and safety infrastructure as existing Upwork engagements, Upwork Now aims to streamline the hiring process, ensuring tasks are completed by the most suitable professionals at the right moment.