Financial Insecurity and Late Payments Are Pushing Freelancers to the Brink

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Financial precarity emerged as one of the most alarming trends in the survey. A quarter of creative freelancers reported extreme financial difficulty, while 42% said their situation had worsened over the past year. Late payments remain a major contributor, with 37% saying delayed invoices damaged their cash flow or pushed them into debt.

The lack of a safety net compounds the problem. Nearly a third of freelancers have no savings, fewer than half have a pension, and working-class freelancers are even more exposed. For some, the pressure has already translated into missed rent payments, reliance on family support, or even food banks — a stark warning sign for a sector reliant on flexible labour.