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More than four in 10 employees would take a pay cut to work for themselves
A survey of full-time employees and freelancers in five countries, including Canada, finds many workers willing to give up about a quarter of their salary for independence. Freelancers also say AI is paying off more for them.
Half of employees in the U.K. and Germany would accept less pay to be their own boss
Share of full-time employees who would take a pay cut to work for themselves, and the average cut they'd accept. Each square is 1% of employees.
| Market | Would take a pay cut | Average cut accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Overall (five countries) | 43% | 24% |
| U.S. | 42% | 25% |
| U.K. | 50% | 21% |
| Germany | 50% | 26% |
"Overall" is the five-country result Fiverr reports as global. Canada and Australia were not reported separately.
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 (survey by Talker Research) · Graphic: HR News Canada
Across the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia, 43 per cent of full-time employees said they would take a pay cut to be their own boss. The average cut they would accept was 24 per cent of salary.
In the U.S., three in four said they're likely to make freelancing their main income within three years. Far fewer would give up pay to get there.
Three in four U.S. employees say they're likely to go freelance within three years
Share of U.S. full-time employees, %
| Statement | Share |
|---|---|
| Likely to make freelancing their primary income within three years | 75% |
| Say freelancing is more within reach than ever | 72% |
| Would take a pay cut to be their own boss | 42% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
67 per cent of full-time employees across the five countries say they're likely to make freelancing their primary income within three years.
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
Freelancers who use AI say it gives them more back than it gives employees.
Canadian freelancers were the most likely of the markets Fiverr reported to say AI had helped them spend less time on admin work, at 41 per cent. Canadian employees also led their peers, at 23 per cent.
Four in 10 Canadian freelancers say AI cuts their admin time
Share of AI users who say it has helped them reclaim time by spending less on admin work, %. Other countries were not reported on this measure.
| Market | Freelancers | Full-time employees |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 41% | 23% |
| U.K. | 37% | 17% |
| Overall (five countries) | 31% | 20% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
In the U.S., freelancers using AI were ahead on almost every benefit measured.
The exception was pay. U.S. employees were more likely than freelancers to say AI had helped them negotiate their pay or ask for more money. In the U.K., that result reversed.
U.S. freelancers get more from AI on every measure except pay talks
Share of U.S. AI users reporting each benefit, %
| Benefit | Freelancers | Full-time employees |
|---|---|---|
| Finish routine tasks faster | 38% | 27% |
| Improve the quality of their work | 34% | 25% |
| Cut admin and repetitive tasks | 33% | 24% |
| More free time | 31% | 24% |
| Sounding board for ideas or decisions | 27% | 21% |
| More time for personal life and rest | 26% | 22% |
| Negotiate pay or ask for more money | 17% | 22% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
Day to day, the two groups work differently.
U.S. freelancers were about twice as likely as employees to say flexible hours and setting their own priorities were part of their everyday workflow. They were also more likely to keep a professional profile or build a portfolio.
U.S. freelancers are twice as likely to set their own hours
Share of U.S. respondents who say each practice is part of their everyday workflow, %
| Practice | Freelancers | Full-time employees |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible work hours | 53% | 25% |
| Setting their own daily priorities | 47% | 23% |
| Tracking their own time and output | 46% | 23% |
| Working outside 9-to-5 hours | 41% | 22% |
| Keeping a professional profile or personal brand | 33% | 22% |
| Building a portfolio | 26% | 17% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
Many employees say their jobs use only part of what they can do. In Germany, two in three said they use three-quarters or less of their skills at work. In the U.S., 47 per cent of employees called professional upskilling a very high priority.
More than half of employees say at least a quarter of their skills go unused
Share of full-time employees who say they use three-quarters or less of their skills at work. Each square is 1% of employees. U.S. and Canadian figures were not reported.
| Market | Share |
|---|---|
| Overall (five countries) | 52% |
| Germany | 67% |
| U.K. | 65% |
| Australia | 63% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
Freelancers expect hiring to change faster than employees do. Some 28 per cent of U.S. freelancers say hiring contractors over full-time staff will be standard within three years, compared with 19 per cent of employees.
For some, it has already happened: 18 per cent of U.S. employees say they were hired as a contractor rather than full-time staff.
More freelancers than employees expect contractor hiring to become standard
Share of U.S. respondents who say each will be standard in the next three years, %. Respondents could choose more than one.
| Change | Freelancers | Full-time employees |
|---|---|---|
| Remote work (not limited to home) | 39% | 21% |
| AI assistants at work | 36% | 24% |
| Skills mattering more than titles or degrees | 30% | 22% |
| Companies hiring contractors over full-time staff | 28% | 19% |
| AI fluency as a standard job requirement | 28% | 23% |
Source: Fiverr, Next Era of Work Report 2026 · Graphic: HR News Canada
“The organizations that make that shift now will keep the skills they depend on.”
Sharon Steiner, chief human resources officer, Fiverr, on making independent talent a core part of how companies operate
What this means for you
The survey measures intent among people with internet access, and it was commissioned by a company that sells freelance services. It is not a forecast of resignations. It does point to questions worth asking inside your own organization.
- Ask employees which of their skills go unused. More than half in this survey said a quarter or more sit idle.
- Look at how much say staff have over their hours and priorities. That is where the gap with freelancers is widest.
- Review how you bring in contractors, since more workers expect that model to grow.
- Find out how employees use AI, including in pay conversations.
Read more workforce coverage from HR News Canada
Sources and methodology
Data come from Fiverr's Next Era of Work Report 2026, published Nov. 11, 2026. Talker Research surveyed 2,850 freelancers and 2,900 full-time employees with internet access in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia. The survey was commissioned by Fiverr and conducted online between Sept. 21 and Sept. 29, 2026.
"Overall" refers to the five-country results Fiverr reports as global. AI benefit figures are among respondents who use AI. Fiverr did not publish sample sizes by country, and reported Canadian results for one measure only. Figures are shown as published.
HR News Canada is an independent source of workplace news for human resources professionals, managers, and business leaders. Published by North Wall Media.
