You’re Not Imagining It: The Odds Really Are Stacked Against Freelancers Right Now

If you’ve been wondering why work feels harder to find, why you’re chasing jobs instead of living your craft, or why confidence feels fragile even when your skill is solid - you’re not imagining it. The landscape of creative work in the UK has shifted, and not in favour of freelancers.

Here’s what recent industry research actually shows.

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1. A workforce still reeling from slowdown

Even after the 2023 industrial action in the US ended, British creative work hasn’t bounced back to where it was. Surveys of more than 2,300 UK film and TV workers found that over half of the workforce was still out of work months later – including film, TV drama, unscripted and commercials – with fewer than one in five people saying their employment had returned to normal work levels. 

That slowdown hits the whole sector, but it especially hits freelancers – who don’t have contracts, guaranteed hours or income continuity.

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2. Precarity and insecurity are everywhere

BECTU’s Big Survey 2025 – the largest of its kind with over 5,500 responses from behind-the-scenes creative workers – makes the problem plain:

▪️ 82 per cent of freelancers say their work is precarious and unstable

▪️ Only around one in eight freelancers feel secure in their career

▪️ Almost 40 per cent were not working at the time of the survey, and many only worked a few months in a six-month period

This is not a short drought - it’s a structural pattern of feast or famine, with massive impact on incomes, cashflow and planning for life beyond the next job.

In one of the most telling findings, three-quarters of jobs were reported to have been secured through personal contacts and networks, rather than public hiring. That means if you aren’t in the right circle, you’re less likely to see work at all. 

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3. Money’s not the only pressure point

Late payment, long hours and unstable work aren’t the only problems - but they amplify everything else:

▪️ Less than half of freelancers are always paid on time

▪️ Many report working 10-plus hour days when work does come in

▪️ Cashflow insecurity pushes some into debt and undermines wellbeing

It’s easy to assume this is just “part of the freelance hustle.” But when every paycheck is uncertain and every month is a gamble, the pressure isn’t a rite of passage - it’s a flaw in the system.

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4. Poor leadership and culture are part of what’s hurting morale

Financial insecurity and job scarcity aren’t the only pressures. Recent research from the Film and TV Charity shows that bullying, harassment and discrimination are shockingly common in UK film, TV and cinema workplaces. In their latest deep dive, they found that around 41% of industry workers had experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in the past year, yet more than half did not report it because they feared it would harm their future work prospects. (britishcinematographer.co.uk)

That’s not just “one bad person”. It’s a pattern linked to structural power imbalances and a lack of clear, supportive leadership. In fact, surveys consistently show that many people who are expected to step up as leaders – whether formally or informally – don’t feel equipped to handle workplace issues, including conflict, misconduct, or team wellbeing. (britishcinematographer.co.uk)

The Film and TV Charity’s ongoing Looking Glass research into mental health and industry culture also highlights that poor wellbeing is tied to working conditions and organisational culture, with freelancers significantly more likely to report loneliness, anxiety and negative impacts on mental health compared with the general population. (filmtvcharity.org.uk)

When leadership fails to set healthy standards for communication, psychological safety and fair teamwork, the people doing the day-to-day creative work – including freelance hair and makeup professionals – end up absorbing the stress. That’s not resilience. That’s survival mode.

And survival mode is exhausting.

But it’s not just about feeling safe - it’s also about having somewhere to go. For the industry to be sustainable, especially with the growing threat of AI and automation, there has to be a clear path forward. People entering the industry - especially freelancers - need to feel that there’s space to grow. That with time, they can step up. That there’s mentorship. Leadership. A future.

That’s how we stabilise the creative workforce: by investing not just in the next job, but in the next generation.

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5. Creativity shouldn’t mean invisibility

Freelance hair and makeup artists are essential cogs in fashion, film, TV, theatre, commercials and live performance - but when hiring practices favour people with existing connections, or when visibility is buried in DMs and WhatsApp groups, talent goes unseen.

This isn’t just frustrating. It’s structurally unfair.

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So why HMU Collective?

The industry research makes one thing clear: the freelance model as it exists is hurting the people it most depends on. The bumps in the road aren’t personal failures. They’re systemic gaps - in how work is shared, how contacts shape opportunity, and how freelancers navigate visibility.

HMU Collective exists to help shift this dynamic by:

✔ Giving hair and makeup freelancers a searchable portfolio

Not lost in DMs or otherwise invisible, but findable by location, skills and availability.

✔ Helping artists be ready when the work does arrive

Because you shouldn’t be scrambling to build availability, portfolio, rates and credibility all at once.

✔ Cutting through the feast-or-famine cycle

Visibility isn’t a guarantee of bookings, but it changes the odds - you can be in the room, instead of hoping the right person remembers your name.

✔ Offering tools that meet real freelancer needs

Rate setting, tax guides, discount opportunities, and professionalism support - practical stuff freelancers actually use.

This is not just another sign-up portal. It’s a space built by people who’ve lived the grind, for people still making their way through it.

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The industry can change - but not without you

The data shows big challenges: fewer jobs, deeper insecurity, unfair hiring norms and workplace culture issues that make those challenges feel personal. But there’s a different way to work and to be visible without selling out or losing yourself in chaos.

If you haven’t yet updated your portfolio, switched on availability or joined the collective visibility pool, now is the time. Not because talent will solve everything, but because a better structure gives talent room to breathe, work and grow.

2026 doesn’t have to be more of the same.

It can be the year you stop feeling like you’re shouting into the void.