- How are you currently seeing contingent workforce data reflect early signals of economic shifts across industries?
Often, we can see early signals of broader economic movements through contingent workforce data as organisations typically adjust their flexible workforce first when they sense market uncertainty. For a broader generalisation, it could be said that when we notice temp hiring volumes spike and contract, it means the wider market will reflect this later on down the line.
Another indicator is time-to-fill metrics. When these extend despite lower demand, it typically signals either skills misalignment or strategic hesitation from hiring managers. What makes this data so valuable is its immediacy. Companies can’t delay decisions about project based hiring the way they might postpone permanent headcount changes. They’re forced to act on current market conditions, making contingent workforce patterns one of our most reliable real time economic barometers. It’s becoming an essential tool for understanding not just where we are economically, but where we’re heading.
- What does the rise of the “for now” career mindset among Gen Z tell us about the future of work?
Contrary to many views, the “for now” mentality many younger employees are adopting isn’t just job hopping, but is something much more strategic and deliberate. Gen Z aren’t treating contingent work as a fallback option. Instead, they’re using it intentionally to build diverse experience and expand their networks. It’s a part of the wider conversation that there is a real shift in how younger generations think about career development.
For organisations, this creates both opportunity and challenge. They can access fresh perspectives and specialised skills more easily, but they also need to compete differently. It’s no longer just about long-term security promises, but additionally, they need to offer compelling projects and genuine cultural experiences. For instance, any opportunity to learn skills focused on artificial intelligence (“AI”) are extremely popular.
What’s particularly interesting is how this mindset is accelerating the shift toward skills-based work. Gen Z’s comfort with project focused careers is pushing organisations to become more agile in their workforce planning. They’re not commitment-phobic, they’re results-oriented and expect continuous value from their employers.
With market uncertainty causing many organisations to remain cautious on committing to full-time hires, the need for work to get done and projects to advance continues. So organizations continue to look to temporary workers to fill that gap, and more of the workforce that may have previously only considered full-time roles are viewing temporary work as their “foot in the door”.
This evolution is creating a more dynamic work environment where both parties can benefit. Organisations get access to diverse capabilities and adaptability, whilst professionals build robust skill sets across multiple contexts. The key difference is recognising that “for now” doesn’t mean lower commitment, it means intentional, strategic engagement that requires different management approaches.
- How are companies rethinking talent strategy amid rolling recessions and sector-specific volatility?
We’re often seeing trends differ across sectors, meaning we could be experiencing rolling recessions as opposed to a ‘hard’ recession. This means we could see a spike in demand for contingent workers in healthcare whilst manufacturing pulls back. When we investigate pay rate fluctuations across different sectors, this is where we can spot where genuine skills shortages exist versus where market corrections are happening.
Companies are fundamentally shifting how they think about workforce resilience. Instead of maintaining large permanent headcounts during uncertain periods, they’re building agile talent strategies that can respond quickly to sectoral changes. The organisations getting this right are treating their contingent workforce as strategic capability rather than reactive cost management.
This sectoral volatility is forcing more sophisticated workforce planning. They are bringing their MSPs and program stakeholders to the table to proactively discuss what their upcoming projects and talent needs are, and they are discussing what types of labor makes the most sense, as well as where to source that labor (taking into account talent availability and cost considerations). Companies are building strategies that can pivot between sectors and adjust capacity based on real-time market conditions, rather than the traditional approach of maintaining fixed headcount regardless of market dynamics.
- What are some persistent myths about contingent workers that business leaders need to unlearn?
There’s still this persistent belief that contingent work is just gap-filling or cost-cutting. The reality is that we’re seeing senior executives and specialists choosing portfolio careers, bringing top-tier expertise on project-specific terms.
There’s also this assumption that contingent workers can’t be integrated into company culture or long-term projects. When organisations have sound policies around contingent labor and ensure compliance to those policies, while provide proper onboarding, system access, and inclusive experiences, contingent workers can become equally valuable parts as internal talent.
There has long been an assumption that contingent labor is always more expensive than full-time labor. If your organization only staffs high-end consultants then that may be true, but the reality is that there are a variety of ways to engage contingent labor and many are actually cheaper than full-time workers when you factor in benefits, etc.
And finally, the biggest myth might be that managing contingent workers is inherently more complex. With the right technology and governance frameworks, it’s often more straightforward than traditional hiring processes.
- In what ways can contingent labour be a strategic advantage rather than just a cost-saving measure?
The real strategic value comes from accessing diverse capabilities and fresh perspectives that permanent teams might not have. Contingent workers bring experience from multiple organisations and industries, often spotting solutions that internal teams miss. It’s about capability enhancement, not cost reduction.
Skills-based hiring through contingent labour creates real workforce agility. Instead of rigid job descriptions, you can focus on specific capabilities that apply across different contexts. When market conditions shift, you can redeploy resources much faster than with traditional permanent structures. As technology continues to advance at warp speed, being able to tap into talent that already has the skills needed to ensure project completions is critical. But as the technology changes, your organisation may not need those skills once a project has completed and contingent labour allows for that flexibility.
The succession planning advantages are significant too. Contingent engagements serve as extended interviews for permanent roles, reducing hiring risk whilst providing immediate project value. You get to evaluate cultural fit and performance before making long-term commitments.
Most importantly, contingent labour enables scenario-based workforce planning. You can build capabilities for different business conditions without the fixed costs of maintaining permanent expertise you might only need periodically. Massive reductions in force (or “RIFs”) are commonplace in today’s global workforce. Every single day we see another company letting go thousands of workers. While it is becoming more and more commonplace, it is not a good look for organisations that cause customers to start to question their brand stability. Leveraging contingent labour allows for companies to add and remove staff rapidly without the negative PR backlash that comes with RIFs.
- How has technology changed the way organisations source, manage, and measure the impact of flexible workforces?
Most organisations are still early in their AI adoption, but the transformation is still notably significant. Generative AI is creating real improvements in intelligent sourcing and matching, allowing organisations to better align with transferable skills and project fit when recruiting.
AI-powered platforms handle routine vendor management, generate tailored job descriptions, and provide real-time workforce insights. This keeps teams focused on strategic relationship building rather than administrative tasks. We are already seeing staffing agencies touting a marked improvement in candidate matching, saying that it used to take 10 candidate CVs to secure one interview, whereas AI matching has improved that to 4 interviews for every 10 CVs.
We expect these metrics to continue to improve as more generative AI agents are deployed by agencies, MSPs, VMS, etc. These large language models will continue to learn and refine their algorithms making candidate matches faster and more reliable.
Where we’re seeing the biggest impact is in predictive analytics. Technology can spot skills gaps before they become critical and support scenario planning for different business conditions. Historical pattern analysis helps anticipate workforce needs while identifying capabilities that traditional screening might miss.
But successful implementation requires integrated platforms that combine data across the entire talent lifecycle. You still need human oversight to ensure AI-driven decisions remain inclusive, free from bias, and brand-aligned.
- How should organisations build workforce ecosystems that blend permanent and non-permanent roles without losing cohesion?
Creating workforce cohesion starts with recognising that fragmented experiences undermine team dynamics. Consistent onboarding processes should provide all workers, regardless of employment type, with clear understanding of company culture, expectations, and available resources.
The “worker experience” is key. While they may not be treated exactly as FTEs, a happy contingent workforce is a productive one. Soliciting consistent feedback from the contingent workers can ensure their experience is a good one.
Performance management systems need adaptation to accommodate different engagement models whilst maintaining consistent standards. The most successful approaches extend core benefits and professional development opportunities to contingent workers, creating stronger engagement and often serving as effective permanent talent pipelines.
Technology integration is crucial. Contingent workers need appropriate access to systems and collaborative platforms to prevent separate workforce tiers. Recognition programmes must be inclusive, acknowledging contributions from all team members regardless of employment classification.
- What regulatory or compliance challenges do companies most often overlook in managing contingent talent at scale?
The biggest oversight is treating compliance as an afterthought rather than building it into governance frameworks from the start. Many organisations struggle with worker classification across different jurisdictions, particularly as remote work expands talent pools globally. The emergence of compliance technology makes it much easier to ensure that any time labor is needed the hiring manager selects the correct type of engagement.
Fragmented vendor management creates significant gaps. Inconsistent onboarding, unclear performance oversight, and disparate benefits application between permanent and contingent staff create both legal risks and engagement issues. You need centralised approaches that ensure consistent policy application.
The audit trail requirements often catch organisations unprepared. You need integrated platforms that provide clear documentation of compliance decisions and policy application across your entire contingent ecosystem.
Strategic partnerships with vendors who can provide single-point accountability for regulatory compliance help significantly. The key is combining robust compliance frameworks with streamlined operational processes that don’t burden internal teams with complex administration, particularly as contingent workforce scale increases. The global regulatory landscape is highly complicated and ever-changing. It is critical to have partners that proactively alert your organization and provide guidance before the new regulation has gone into effect.
- What trends in the gig or freelance economy do you believe will most impact enterprise hiring strategies in the next 3–5 years?
The shift toward skills-based assessment is accelerating rapidly. Traditional degree requirements are becoming less relevant as organisations focus on demonstrable capabilities and project outcomes. This creates opportunities to access talent pools that might have been overlooked in conventional hiring processes.
The democratisation of high-level expertise is perhaps the biggest shift. Geographic barriers are disappearing, meaning any company, should they decide, can access specialist skills from anywhere globally. But this also means competition for the best talent is intensifying, you need compelling projects and streamlined engagement processes to attract top performers.