‘More precarious than ever’: report highlights freelancers' declining conditions

SUBSCRIBE

My Account

My Library

Login

Topics

Shakespeare

A decline in freelance jobs following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and due to the rise of generative AI were flagged as key concerns. Photo: Shutterstock

Freelancers are in urgent need of protection from AI technologies, insufficient pay and a decline in work post-Covid lockdowns, according to a new report by Creative UK.

Entitled Forging Freelance Futures, the report draws on a survey of more than 1,200 freelancers and more than 221 organisations across the UK.

A decline in freelance jobs following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and due to the rise of generative AI was flagged as a key concern, as well as persistently low and unstable payments that were found to be affecting the ability of the "overwhelming majority" of freelancers to pay rent and bills.

Among the report’s recommendations were sick pay for freelancers, who are not currently entitled to the provision, and a freelance commissioner to advocate for freelancers in government – a move the creative sector has been lobbying for since 2020.
Continues...

Related to this article

‘Free tickets for freelancers’ scheme doubled for The Stage's Future of Theatre

'Act now' on workforce crisis, say freelancers

Big ideas are required to tackle the freelance crisis

Higher education was also deemed a vital area for improvement, with feedback declaring it was not currently equipping graduates with the business know-how to embark on a freelance creative career.

Two-thirds of the freelancers who responded to Creative UK’s latest survey (66%) highlighted a reduction in freelance work following the pandemic lockdowns.

The report also warned that snowballing AI technologies were reshaping the whole creative job market, but were already having a particular impact on freelancers.

Research by Imperial College Business School cited in the report claims that freelancers globally have reported a 21% decrease in demand for their services due to the rise of generative AI tools, while a further study revealed that job postings for freelance tasks deemed "susceptible to automation" decreased by 21% within eight months of ChatGPT’s release.

Meanwhile, two thirds (64%) of survey respondents reported experiencing "low" or "unfair" pay at some point in their careers, and an overwhelming majority of freelancers reported late payments impacting their ability to meet everyday payments from rent to bills.

The report’s recommendations to combat the difficulties included:
• Higher education providers embedding business skills into arts education and equipping graduates for a freelance career.
• Sick pay and parental leave for freelancers in order to achieve parity with traditional employees.
• Strengthened requirements for prompt payments.
• Pension schemes and other financial products tailored towards freelancers.
• A freelance commissioner within government to vouch for their needs.

Creative UK chief executive Caroline Norbury said: "The Covid-19 pandemic changed so much about all of our working lives – but this is especially true for freelancers.

"As this report lays out, many who work in this way have found opportunities to be more precarious than ever. We need to find ways to better support this vital part of the creative workforce – and to create new systems in a post-Covid world.

"This means adapting provision within both the public and private sector to ensure it is more fit for purpose, incentivising the creation of new products and services that support the freelance workforce, and in the process, unlocking the potential of an expert, committed, agile and flexible workforce. It’s vital that we get this right – for creatives and for the wider economy."

BECTU head Philippa Childs added: "[Freelancers] face a unique set of challenges and continue to get a raw deal, battling the ebbs and flows of the business cycle and lacking many of the protections that employees enjoy. The government must recognise these challenges and be proactive in addressing them if this significant part of the UK workforce is to thrive.

She continued: "We welcome this important report on how to strengthen both freelancer protections and the creative economy, and stand ready to engage with government and industry on a plan for appointing a freelance commissioner."