oDesk announced an $8 million Series B investment led by Benchmark Capital.

oDesk, an Internet startup that lets companies access an On Demand global workforce, announced today that Thomas Layton, CEO of Open Table, has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Mr. Layton brings a tremendous amount of experience building marquee Internet businesses as well as an extensive network of relationships in the sector to the company. He was a cofounder of CitySearch, Inc., which later merged with Ticketmaster and is now a subsidiary of InterActiveCorp.

oDesk, an Internet startup that lets companies hire and manage remote workers from its global talent pool and pay them on an hourly basis, announced a $6 million Series A investment from Globespan Capital Partners and Sigma Partners.

Elance today announced that it has sold its on-demand Services and Contractor Management business to Click Commerce (Nasdaq: CKCM), effective February 8.

In a move to help small and medium sized businesses benefit from outsourcing, Elance Online has unveiled its Web & IT Outsourcing Center, a comprehensive outsourcing resource for technology consulting businesses.

Elance today announced that Giga Research, a wholly owned subsidiary of Forrester Research, has released a new report that names Elance as the largest player in the growing market for services procurement solutions.