The freelance market for creatives hit an inflection point in February.
Contractors make up between 30% and 70% of marketing teams, according to workforce platform Assemble. Today, companies including Delta, MassMutual, ServiceNow, and Colgate use external specialists for longer stints, sometimes across multiple quarters.
That’s a big change from before 2022, when that number hovered at 10%, and freelancers mostly filled short-term roles.
The change reflects both economic pressure and how marketing work gets done now, said Assemble founder and CEO Lara Vandenberg. After all, many U.S. companies have slowed hiring, while marketing teams are expected to produce more.
