As the world's tech giants invest heavily in virtual reality, the relatively few workers who specialize in the nascent field are seeing big benefits.

Demand for online freelancers with virtual-reality expertise grew far faster than for people with any other skill in the previous quarter. Billings on virtual-reality projects grew more than 30-fold from the same period a year earlier, according to U.S. data provided by Upwork Inc.'s website that connects freelancers with employers.

Virtual reality has so far struggled to break into the mainstream, with the technology largely confined to high-end video-gaming. Facebook Inc., which bought virtual-reality headset maker Oculus in 2014 for $2 billion, has already been lowering prices for the Oculus headset and is working on a more consumer-friendly version to be sold next year. Other companies that make virtual-reality goggles include Samsung Electronics Co., Alphabet Inc.'s Google, and Sony Corp.

Overall, tech-related skills accounted for nearly two-thirds of Upwork's list of the 20 fastest-growing skills. Conometrics, a subspecialty of economics that involves building mathematical models to explain and predict the real world, also saw a big spike in demand for its work.

SundayMonday Business on 08/07/2017

Print Headline: Virtual-reality freelancers most sought

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Virtual-reality freelancers most sought - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansas Online