MENLO PARK, USA: A study of freelance software developers reveals a sharp increase in hourly rates for US-based talent, up 35 percent from 2008.

Findings are based on analysis of over 1,800 software development assignments over the last 12 months. The study was conducted by oDesk, the marketplace for online workteams.

Analysis also reveals increased rates in the Ukraine (21 percent), Pakistan (10 percent), and Russia (3 percent). Developers in Canada, Philippines, U.K., and Bolivia saw hourly rates dip by 10 percent or more.

According to the study, It seems that while the UK and Bolivia have seen a dramatic decrease in the hourly fees software developers are able to charge, in the United States, despite the recession, software developers are now charging an average of 35 percent more than they did in 2008.

Freelance software jobs include programming and development using skills such as PHP, MySQL, Java, and XHTML.

"This rate increase showcases both the quality of providers in the U.S. and the interest of buyers worldwide to hire top talent," said oDesk CEO, Gary Swart.

"Even in today's economic climate, oDesk is seeing providers with top skills command competitive rates. This is in large part because of oDesk's transparency, which allows providers to build up online reputations with work histories showing strong feedback from their buyers," added Swart.