While Dan Pink’s famous prediction that we’d all be freelancing to some degree has largely failed to materialize, the hype surrounding the rise of the gig economy has nonetheless been significant.

The annual Workforce View in Europe report by ADP suggests that the allure of freelancing may be on the wane across Europe however.  The report reveals that there has been an 11% fall in the number of people considering an independent lifestyle in the last year, with the UK the only country in Europe where demand for such a lifestyle is holding up.

ADP believe that the relative robustness of UK demand for the freelance lifestyle is down to the confidence many have in the health of the economy (despite the inherent uncertainty caused by Brexit).

Jobs for life

The survey, which saw over 10,000 employees quizzed about their attitudes towards work, revealed a divergence between British and European views on work, especially in terms of the notion of a ‘job for life’.  The data revealed that just over a quarter of Europeans would like to stay at their current organization for the remainder of their working life, versus around 19% of British employees.  Brits were also most likely to be working as freelancers in Europe, with Swiss and French workers closely behind.

While freelancing and portfolio careers have grown in popularity in recent years, the researchers believe we may have reached peak freelance and the popularity is now on the wane again, with people craving more traditional career paths.

“Freelancing can offer a fantastic way of life to certain professionals but, as with any career choice, it isn’t for everybody and it seems trends differ remarkably depending on the region. A huge number of employees, both in the UK and Europe, have chosen to follow the self-employed path over the last few years, attracted by freedom, flexibility and control over their destiny,” ADP say. “However, many will also have struggled with the insecurity, isolation and significant administrative burden that can come with it, and ADP’s research reflects this.”