Survey finds high demand for freelancers does not mean they have work lined up

Forty-two percent of self-employed professionals in the Netherlands have work lined up only for the next three months or less, according to a new analysis of Knab’s 2026 Hourly Rates Survey of 16,853 self-employed workers. However, 77 percent of that group report high demand for their work. According to the researchers, that means that strong demand does not necessarily immediately materialize into work opportunities.

Of the self-employed individuals who have been in business for less than a year, 55 percent have fewer than three months of work or revenue possibilities lined up. Among those active for more than 10 years, that figure is at 37 percent. When it comes to the perceived demand for work, 82 percent of all starters report high demand, compared to 82-83 percent of the most experienced self-employed workers.

Starters are also reportedly more likely to combine their business income with wage-based employment. That statement was supported by 34 percent of those who have been freelancing for less than a year. For those who have been self-employed for more than a decade, that figure is at 12-13 percent.

Knab noted that of the electricians in the study, 64 percent have less than three months of future work or revenue lined up. At the same time, 95 percent of all electricians in the survey said that demand for their work is typically high - the highest share among the 70 self-employed occupations studied.