A recent FlexJobs survey predicts that 2026 looks good for the self-employed, small businesses, and the gig economy. Before 2020, the freelance path was considered speculative or risky. Six years later, it has become a chosen path for those who want more flexibility and opportunity for economic growth and freedom and a brighter path to achieve the American Dream.
This has become even more important for seniors who are too often marginalized in the traditional labor market. For women who still desire career satisfaction but have family and other important priorities that full-time corporate work does not accommodate, freelancing allows us to be in control of our work-life balance.
This survey brings good news about the flexible workforce:
“More than 72 million people in the U.S. currently work independently, and that number is projected to reach 86.5 million by 2027. This growth is reflected in FlexJobs’ database, where freelance job postings have increased by 22% over the past six months, signaling strong demand for remote-friendly roles.”
Based on their analysis of job postings from more than 60,000 companies across 60 career categories between July 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, the top freelance jobs, career industries, and companies by growth and the strongest prospects for freelance, remote, and work-from-home opportunities in 2026:
- Bilingual: Dual or multiple language speakers have new opportunities opening up for them, especially in the AI-driven technology market.
- Customer Service: The areas of sales, technology, and engineering are posting the greatest need for these skills.
- Banking: Especially banking technology, programmers, analysts, and consultants.
- Communications: This always presents opportunities for highly-skilled communications professionals to apply and expand their skills without leaving their established location.
- Sales: Real Estate, insurance, and finance feature prominently in this category.
- Medical & Health: The recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show this area has shown increased growth, which results in increased opportunity for freelancers, especially with the expansion of telehealth platforms.
- Business Development: From analysts, to liaisons, to process developers and enhancers, businesses seeking to grow and expand give opportunity to partner with consultants in these specialized fields.
- Engineering: Hardware and software, satellite and infrastructure, systems and processes all need on site and off site assistance.
- Legal: The brick-and-mortar firms and in-house counsel aspect of this field has contracted, but those with legal minds and expertise now consult across a number of industries from their individual homes and locations.
- Education: With the education landscape becoming decentralized and locally focused, the expansion of opportunities for educators and curriculum developers is expanding rapidly.
What this study most illuminates is that freelancers come in all shapes, sizes, and professions and as the years progress, we become even more crucial to the whole of the American economy. The latest Small Business Administration numbers show that 82 percent of small businesses are independently-run, and 44.6 percent are women-owned. As of 2022, independent professionals have contributed 6.8 percent—or $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy. Any efforts by elected officials to institute policies that reduce or eliminate freelancers from this equation do incredible damage not just to American ingenuity and freedom, but to the whole of the economy. It is essential that Congress protect the role of the independent professional in American business.