Mobile developers are increasingly having to take on additional work from business clients in order to stay afloat.

That's according to numbers published from a recent survey carried out by Appcelerator and IDC, which looked to compare developer projects from one quarter in 2010 with the most recent quarter in 2013.

The paper's conclusion? There's been a stark shift in the sheer number of studios having to engage in work for hire in order to pay the bills.

Keeping the lights on

According to the results, more than 70 percent of developers surveyed were focusing their time on aiming apps directly at consumers back in 2010. Current numbers, however, suggest that figure has fallen to 57.2 percent.

This fall is mirrored by a rise in the share of developers creating applications for business clients, which has jumped from 29.3 percent in 2010 to 42.7 percent in 2013.

In response to the stats, Appcelerator director of enterprise strategy, Michael King, suggested that this change could be due to developers needing to find revenue as they search "for the next breakout app", all while still working out how to monetise passion projects.

It's also noted that the trend also "mirrors that of the original web, but the rate of evolution is much faster."

[source: Appcelerator]