In today’s ever-evolving workforce landscape, organisations are increasingly turning to freelance talent to access specialised skills, enable flexibility, and accelerate innovation. But how do you move beyond ad-hoc freelancer hiring into something strategic, scalable, and compliant?

To explore this, I sat down with Jack Spencer, a leading voice in freelancer talent strategy and founder of Freeflexer. Jack supports organisations in building and executing smart, future-ready freelance models, covering guidance around everything from talent pool curation, payment platforms, marketplaces, and enterprise resource management (ERM) systems.

Jack’s approach goes beyond tools, it’s about designing upstream frameworks that make freelance engagement seamless, sustainable, and compliant. One of his core beliefs? “Freelancers aren’t a fallback, they’re a strategic lever. The companies that build engaged, data-driven talent pools now won’t just keep up with change, they’ll lead it.”

In this conversation, we explore the positives of freelance engagement, the risks and fears organisations face, and how embedding compliance and structure into the process can unlock both agility and control.

What’s the biggest misconception about freelancers?

That they’re expensive and don’t care. But compared to what? Employees? They’re expensive too. A well managed freelancer is often cheaper overall, they bring specialist skills, deliver faster, and live off their reputation. If you’re using freelancers properly, they’re not a risk, they’re your competitive edge.

What are the biggest benefits organisations are seeing from integrating freelance talent?

There’s a lot of focus on flexibility, and rightly so. The ability to scale resources in line with demand is a major asset, especially in uncertain times. But the companies that really get value from freelance talent look beyond just flexibility. They treat freelancers as part of their strategic engine.

Freelancers bring specialised expertise, fresh thinking, and a cross-pollination of ideas from different industries and projects. When integrated properly, they don’t just support delivery, they expand what’s possible. That means faster execution, broader capabilities, and greater adaptability. Freelancers help businesses move faster and smarter.

Are organisations managing freelancers effectively through tech (like FMS or VMS)?

The tools exist. But the processes around them often do not… You can implement an FMS, but if internal teams don’t understand how to scope work or track performance, it falls flat. FMS/VMS needs training, policy, ownership, and proper scoping, otherwise, it’s just shelfware.

How did you get into the Freelancer Talent space?

I started out as a freelancer myself, working in the creative industries. Over time I moved towards the tech space working as the Head of Project Management in an app development studio. My first real step into the freelance talent space was joining one of the early freelance management platforms in the UK. At the time, it was a small, energetic team with a bold idea: to help businesses connect with brilliant freelancers in a fair, transparent, and efficient way. They’re now a global player in the freelancer management world.

I had a front-row seat to how companies were using contingent talent. I saw the good, the bad, and everything in between. I saw where it worked well, where it broke down, and where the real risks and opportunities were. Years later, when I was explaining Freeflexer to someone, they said, “That sounds quite niche.” I understand why people think that. But for me, enabling the external workforce isn’t just a niche part of HR. It’s about capability, productivity, innovation, and growth. That’s what drew me in, and that’s what Freeflexer is all about: helping organisations change how they work, not just who does the work.

Are there particular business functions or industries where freelance engagement is accelerating most?

The data is mixed. While the number of freelancers in the UK has remained fairly static the last few years, their contribution to the economy is growing fast. That tells us they are delivering more high-value, often in high-impact, high-skill roles. Traditionally, freelance engagement has been strongest in industries like creative, tech, marketing and media. More and more organisations are turning to freelancers for project delivery, and consultancy, roles that lend themselves to autonomy and short-term deployment. With AI disrupting pretty much every corner of UK industry, we’re about to see massive acceleration in roles supporting that transformation. But to me, the more interesting trend is who’s entering the space. While older age groups have stayed steady, there has been a sharp increase in the proportion of freelancers aged 16 to 29. Combine that with the rise of side hustles, and it’s clear younger workers are actively choosing independent working models over traditional careers paths. Businesses are failing to react to that shift. It is happening right now. Not in the future.

How has access to global, on-demand talent shifted expectations for project delivery or innovation?

Global connectivity has changed the game forever. The skill is not finding candidates anymore, it is about finding the right candidate in the noise.

Freelancer platforms serve up hundreds of thousands of options. The challenge now is filtering for quality, competency, fit, and availability.

In part, that’s why Freeflexer advocates for direct talent pool management. If you already know who your top performers are, you can move faster and with more confidence.

Looking at this from a delivery perspective, expectations around lead times and cost have shifted. Businesses now expect high-quality output at speed, often without needing to increase headcount.

Why is it important for companies to proactively build and nurture a freelancer talent pool?

Too often, businesses rely on platforms, recruiters, sprawling spreadsheets, bloated CRMs, or shared in-boxes filled with thousands of freelancers. It sounds like a good thing, lots of options, but in reality, it creates chaos. Years of ad hoc hiring and siloed decisions lead to noise, not clarity.

When external talent is not managed properly, recruitment becomes the fallback, and the cycle repeats.

Building a freelance talent pool means knowing who is in your network, what they can do, and how recently they have been engaged. It is about quality over quantity. That requires a few core steps: auditing your database, setting a clear external workforce strategy, building the right infrastructure, and genuinely engaging with your known freelancers.

The goal is a curated, pre-vetted pool of specialists who understand your business and can hit the ground running. Not just a list. A community. Ready when you need them. This will be standard practice in a few years.

What is the role of marketing and outbound efforts in freelancer acquisition (vs. passive sourcing)?

In today’s climate, most organisations we meet do not have an acquisition problem. There are more freelancers than there is work. The challenge is managing that talent and making sense of the data. It’s easier to recruit fresh than organise their own freelance workforce.

Many organisations still lack the ability to report accurately on freelancer usage, cost, quality, or skills. I have seen companies spend over £100 million a year on contingent workers without any system in place for collecting feedback, ranking performance, or tracking skills. That is what happens when freelancers are not part of the core workforce plan, they’re treated as a bolt-on.

The businesses that do this well build a strong reputation. Freelancers talk. Word spreads fast.

Outbound can play a role, especially when launching a new pool or targeting niche skill sets. But the real differentiator is how freelancers are treated once they are in. Engagement, consistency, and communication matter more than any cold outreach.

Is AI a threat or opportunity for freelancer strategy?

AI is an operational enabler, not a decision-maker. Use it to accelerate research, build frameworks, or analyse patterns, but do not outsource judgement or creativity. The future belongs to those with strong critical thinking, taste, and context. AI will not replace them, it will reward them.

What is the biggest risk in external workforce today?

Lack of visibility. I have seen organisations think they have 100 freelancers, we uncover 3,000. Millions in hidden spend, compliance gaps, fraud exposure, because no one owns it, and people “just get the work done.” Poor visibility and lack of ownership is a very dangerous combination.

What are the legal/regulatory shifts that you are seeing in the UK that organisations should be aware of?

The biggest shift coming is the 2026 Umbrella Reform. It’s going to fundamentally change how liability works in the labour supply chain. This is still in flux, but from April 2026, end clients are expected to share PAYE liability and become responsible for compliance within their outsourced supply chains. That means if your umbrella company or staffing supplier mishandles payroll, the liability will no longer sit downstream.

This is a huge deal. For years, organisations have taken comfort in outsourcing risk through their suppliers. That is about to change. It is not just an HR issue, it’s a financial and reputational one too. Companies need to start preparing now. This includes reviewing supply chains, auditing compliance practices, and deciding whether to bring certain functions in-house or take more control. Those who wait until 2026 to react will already be on the back foot.

Who should own freelancer and external workforce strategy?

Often, the responsibility sits with someone between Finance and Ops, someone who understands cost, risk and how the business runs. I’d love to see more businesses create Head of External Workforce or Chief Freelance Officer roles.

Without ownership, FMS/VMS tech gets neglected. Change needs both a top-down mandate and ground-up engagement.

What triggers the need for an FMS or workforce audit?

Usually chaos. “God, this is unmanageable.” Multiple systems, rogue spend, hiring freeze breaches, unknown suppliers, unclassified workers, that’s when businesses realise they need structure. But do not wait until you are firefighting. Audit now, before it becomes critical. Audits don’t just put your house in order, they uncover opportunities.

Any success stories where an organisation streamlined their freelancer engagement and saw major business benefits?

We worked with a large publishing business that was struggling with rising costs and a heavy reliance on fixed-term contracts. They were facing budget creep, poor visibility, and a growing sense that they were not getting good ROI. We started with an external workforce audit to map spend, risk, and opportunity. From there, we recommended a tech partner, set up classification and onboarding workflows, and delivered training to hiring managers around compliance and engagement. Ownership was assigned internally, and we now revisit quarterly to review processes and ensure the audit trail holds up. The impact was immediate. Costs dropped by reducing reliance on employee-style engagements. Planning improved with clearer data. Onboarding sped up. Briefing processes were streamlined. And most importantly, hiring managers felt more confident and in control. It was not just about cutting costs, it was about making the freelance function work properly, at scale.

What is your view on the future workforce?

The next generation does not want your job, they want your work. This shift is already happening. The freelance-first mindset, remote work, async collaboration, it is the new default. Businesses should not ask if they’ll engage freelancers, they should ask how they’ll adapt to what’s coming.

What is One direct message that you would like organisations to remember about managing freelance talent? Do not treat freelancers like a bolt-on. If you build the right infrastructure, assign ownership, and engage talent properly, freelancers become a strategic asset, not just a stopgap. The businesses that treat freelance engagement as part of their long-term workforce strategy are already seeing the benefits: faster delivery, better capability, and more control. This shift is not a future trend, it is already happening. Gen Z are more likely to go freelance than any generation before them. Gen Alpha will be even more so. The workforce is changing in real time. This is not optional. It is inevitable. The organisations that adapt now will be the ones that thrive later.

This conversation with Jack was a reminder that managing freelance talent is not just about plugging a gap. It is about future-proofing your workforce.

Freelancers are not a workaround. They are strategic and provide competitive advantages. And the businesses who recognise that now, who build the systems, culture, and accountability around flexible talent, are the ones who will move faster, scale smarter, and stay ahead of the curve.

If you are still treating freelance as a side hustle, it might be time to rethink your strategy.

“Strategy without execution is a daydream. Execution without strategy is a nightmare.” Japanese Proverb

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