Digital marketing and online freelancing: Assessing the competence and inclusion potential for persons with physical disabilities in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro

Digital marketing and online freelancing offer important opportunities for expanding labor market inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly through flexible, remote work arrangements. However, the existing literature lacks research on the experiences of PWDs in digital marketing and their self-perceived competencies, particularly in the context of the platform economy in developing and post-transition countries. To address this gap, this study investigates the level of digital marketing experience and self-assessed competencies of persons with physical disabilities (PwPDs) in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro. The data was collected from 398 PwPDs using a validated questionnaire based on the Digital Marketing Competence (DMC) framework. The results show that most respondents have only basic or no experience in digital marketing and consider their competencies across all DMC areas insufficient for independent work. A positive relationship was found between previous experience and self-perceived competence. These results point to the pressing need for inclusive, multi-level digital marketing training programs tailored to the needs of PwPDs. Such programs should also address gender and geographic inequalities in digital access. Limitations include a focus on self-assessment and only PwPDs. Future research should expand the sample and incorporate performance-based assessments to more comprehensively examine digital marketing competence.