The study closes with 20 steps to start this week: six for innovation leaders, five for HR leaders, five for procurement leaders and four for the solutions that want to be chosen.
By Matthew Mottola, Tony Buffum and Jeff Nugent · Published December 1, 2026
Key findings
29% of companies say flexible talent produced no measurable outcome for them.
Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.
43% of companies say more than a quarter of their independent talent is engaged outside the program, and 29% say more than half; marketing and international teams lead, each named by 43%.
Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.
Exhibit 33
Where independent talent is engaged outside the program
Percent of companies, multiple answers
Marketing
43%
International teams
43%
Business units
29%
IT
29%
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.
71% of companies use independent talent for specialized expertise; only 14% use it to cut costs.
Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.
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.
Every solution in the study calls AI a top trend, against half of companies; every company weighs compliance when it picks a provider, but only 20% of solutions say compliance sets them apart.
Source: Human Cloud and Independently, 2026 Annual Flexible Workforce Study, company and solution surveys, fielded Aug to Sep 2026.
Exhibit 28
Solutions bet on AI. Companies pick on compliance.
Percent of each group
CompaniesSolutions
AI is a top trend
50%
100%
AI is an investment priority
29%
80%
Compliance decides provider choice or is a differentiator
100%
20%
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.
The chapter in brief
For innovation leaders: fund flexible talent like an innovation bet; go to known talent first; build the audit file before the audit; decide who employs the talent before you hire it; bring procurement a shortlist it can approve; and name your horizon, function by function.
For HR leaders: make the program the easiest way to hire; plan every worker in one workforce plan; write the classification policy before you scale; measure speed to skill; and bring the hiring managers into the design.
For procurement leaders: price the cost of delay into every bid; make compliance the first filter; write requirements a solution can bid on; shorten the path to a first project; and bring hidden spend into the program.
For employer of record and talent platform executives: lead with speed, then show the compliance; put verified outcomes where buyers read; partner with the customer to carry the work; and make your offer easy to buy.
Each step in the full study comes with one thing to start this week and the number behind it.
Source: 2026 Flexible Workforce Study, Human Cloud and Independently.
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.
