Ultimately, what is needed is not just a alternative to Upwork that takes bitcoin, but an innovation the is better than Upwork and is bitcoin-native. This may be what Arcade City is building. it could be something we haven't even envisioned. Like Microtask Programming, perhaps:

Try out a new way to build software, focusing on one function at a time. Over $1800 in prizes. Sign up here:

Or a Virtual workforce, like what Freshii has built:

Freshii’s ‘virtual cashiers’ make $3.75 an hour and have been called ‘outrageous’ — now the chain’s founder wants to go global https://www.thestar.com/business/2022/07/08/percy-the-virtual-cashier-founders-shrug-off-critics-and-plan-to-grow-start-up-into-a-multinational-company.html

Even SN has an angle here....

A sub for tasks,

New SN post type: [request] ✔️ (similar to Stackoverflow) #43286

I don’t even code but this is a game changer! You guys are awesome, I know foreign coders who would benefit from something like this

As a task worker, you are correct -- nearly all the tasks listed are of the variety you describe, ... where because there are no skills required the compensation is trivially low.

But that doesn't mean Microlancer won't work for an employer looking for a freelancer. Many freelancers are on Microlancer already -- you can see the Fiverr-type listings (under Microlancer Services) where they offer to do work, looking for a client. But the client/employer listing a task that is even a small project (e.g., $50 in compensation to design a logo) is few and far between, nonetheless the type of freelancer hiring found on Upwork where it is a need for a developer for X hours at $N rate that would be attractive to a talented developer. And because those types of listings are rare, there aren't a large number of skilled freelancers regularly frequenting the site looking for new listings in which they might be able to earn. It's a catch-22 situation.

But Microlancer is, today, suitable for many of the same type of listings that are found on Upwork, and on the rare occasion those types of tasks are listed, they usually find someone qualified to do the work, and promptly. So it's not like our bitcoin ecosystem itself couldn't use Microlancer for finding freelancers, which would help this staunchly bitcoin-only freelancer marketplace to grow.

Microlancer can be used for small or large tasks. Right now there are many microtask employers, but employers can also post large tasks (with built-in escrow) and workers can post their services. Upwork requires government ID and a bank account, so it's inaccessible for many people. Otherwise you can post jobs in https://bitcoinp2pmarketplace.com or https://bitejo.com (KYC-free and supports on-chain Bitcoin).