Debunking 6 Common Myths About Hiring Freelance Talent

Updated: July 31, 2025

Once associated with more creative fields like music, writing, and design, freelance talent has in recent years expanded into essentially every sector of the economy, thanks to the internet. Even so, many hiring managers rely on old “knowledge” about freelancers in building their teams. Often, this means avoiding freelance talent entirely.

To prove freelancers are worth your time, we’ve debunked six common myths about them:

Myth No. 1: Freelancers Are Only Good for Quick Projects

A common assumption is that freelance workers are hired to get things done fast and then get out. However, U.S. businesses hiring freelancers grew 260% from 2022 to 2024, many for knowledge-based roles in tech, AI, marketing, and data, according to a recent study published in Entrepreneur. This means employers are increasingly integrating freelance talent into long-term workflows.

Managers are limiting their teams if they neglect to hire freelancers for longer-term projects and relationships. It isn’t prudent to ignore a source of skilled talent – in this case, freelancers – based solely on the potential length of the relationship between company and worker.

Similarly, maintaining relationships with skilled, high-performing freelancers means companies don’t need to search for and onboard new employees whenever they need that skill set. Additionally, freelancers can be helpful when scaling business up or down; companies don’t have to retain unnecessary full-time employees and can save money with project-based freelancers.

Myth No. 2: Freelancers Do Unimportant Busy Work

Freelancers don’t contribute anything meaningful to the company’s bottom line – that’s what regular employees are for, right?

It may be surprising, but, in many cases, freelancers become instrumental team members in completing projects. It often happens that an in-house team cannot handle its workload due to an upsurge in business, and the hiring of a new employee may not be feasible for a number of reasons. In these instances, it makes practical and financial sense to contract a freelancer.

Myth No. 3: Freelancers Are Unskilled (And Don’t Evolve with Tools)

People worry that freelancers are only freelancing because they lack skills and/or can’t hold a “normal” job. In reality, the opposite is true: Freelancers generally choose to leave traditional work because they feel limited in their skill growth and desire more flexibility. Furthermore, freelancers are motivated to perform at their best in order to win new and repeat customers.

Many employers find freelancers are actually more skilled than full-time hires. According to a recent Upwork study, 37% of skilled freelancers hold post-graduate degrees, compared to 20% of skilled full-time employees.

Freelancers also make it easier for employers to access hard-to-find skills. In fact, as AI tools grow, freelancers working on AI-related projects are in high demand. The Upwork study also found that 51% of skilled freelancers are currently self-training on AI tools, compared to 39% of skilled full-time employees.

Myth  No. 4: Freelancers Have No Work Ethic

A common fear is that freelancers are not hard workers. This is another case where the opposite is true: The Upwork study says freelancers are “stepping into the future of work with greater energy and optimism” than their full-time employee counterparts, with 71% of skilled FTEs reporting feeling “burned out.” In contrast, 83% of freelancers said their work is impacting their “physical, mental, and emotional well-being” in a positive way,

It makes sense: In order to earn repeat business, freelancers must prove themselves to be superior workers. To win new opportunities, they have to receive positive feedback and ratings from prior clients. To earn more money, they have to balance several projects and please each client. To keep up success in the future, freelancers know they have to work hard now (and enjoy the work they’re doing).

Myth No. 5: Freelancers Don’t Collaborate

Now more than ever, advances in technology allow hiring managers to navigate the gig economy and manage their relationships with workers within it, including freelancers. There are so many apps that allow real-time collaboration between permanent employees and freelancers, no matter where they are located. Similarly, apps like AllWork allow managers to engage freelancers on an as-needed basis.

Myth No. 6: Freelancing Is a Temporary Trend

Think freelancing is just a passing fad? In 2025, there are over 64 million freelancers in the U.S.—about 38% of the workforce—up from 36% just two years ago, according to Demandsage. That number is projected to rise to more than 86 million (50% of the workforce) by 2027.

Not only are more and more workers in various industries taking on freelance lifestyles, but hiring managers are also quickly warming up to the concept. Companies that encourage the use of freelancers will benefit from the increased access to skilled talent and more workforce flexibility, while those that ignore freelancers will inevitably fall behind.