The ZZPuzzel provides clients in 2026 with clarity, facts, and context about 20 years of self-employed policy and current risks.
AI shifts rates: particularly so-called vulnerable roles show the strongest increase among self-employed professionals.
Rates vary greatly per profession. Experience, scarcity, and AI determine where rates rise, stabilise, or come under pressure.
Fees for external professionals to stabilise in 2026, with an expected increase of only 1% due to reduced market tension.
The number of flexible professionals in local government is decreasing, with noticeable impact on teams and projects.
The market for external hiring is shifting to a buyer's market: more responses per assignment and more scope to negotiate on rate and quality.
