Human CloudIndependently
2026 Flexible Workforce Study
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← All findings from the 2026 Flexible Workforce Study
Exhibit 18
71%

Companies use flexible talent to move faster. Only 14% use it to save money.

Specialized expertise is the top reason companies bring in independent talent, named by 71%. Cost ties for last. Programs measured on hourly rate are measuring the wrong thing.

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Read chapter 04: Companies choose flexible talent to be faster, not cheaper →
Exhibit 18
Why companies use independent talent
Percent of companies, multiple answers
Specialized expertise
71%
Project-based work
57%
Global talent access
43%
Cost
14%
Innovation
14%
Flexibility
14%
Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.Source: 2026 Flexible Workforce Study, Human Cloud and Independently.
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The data

Why companies use independent talent. Percent of companies, multiple answers.
Percent
Specialized expertise71%
Project-based work57%
Global talent access43%
Cost14%
Innovation14%
Flexibility14%

Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.

More from the study

Exhibit 9AI cuts are not sticking. The work is coming back as flexible talent.Exhibit 12AI now reads one in five solution profiles, and it prioritizes the proven ones.

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Ten chapters, 40 exhibits, business cases verified by named companies, and a one-page action plan for innovation, HR and procurement leaders and for the solutions that serve them.

Read by chapter
  1. IState of flexible talent
    1. 01Flexible talent is now an $8.7 trillion market and nearly half the US workforce
    2. 02AI is leading to more layoffs and more flexible talent
    3. 03Flexible talent is going global, led by Latin America
  2. IIBuyer analysis
    1. 04Companies choose flexible talent to be faster, not cheaper
    2. 05Companies need compliance for flexible talent to scale
    3. 06The challenge: Procurement is the bottleneck for both sides
    4. 07How companies want to work with solutions
  3. IIISetting buyers up for success
    1. 08Flexible talent is being led outside HR and procurement
    2. 09The talent strategy of the future: blending your human and machine cloud to optimize for impact
    3. 10A 5-step framework for flexible talent success
    4. Bonus: What to do right now
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