Freelancers earned an average of $62,000 in FY 2025/26 🎉
One of the biggest challenges freelancers currently face is pricing themselves and their services effectively. This has long been the case, as freelance gig platforms forced local talent to compete against international rates from countries with a lower cost of living.
Now, as we move further into an AI-centric job market, there’s competition on a new front; some
commentators argue that in the future, freelancers may be priced out of the market entirely!
But as freelancers continue to prove, in a world filled with AI slop, it’s the human that shines through. This is the exact quality that freelancers bring to the table; they’re storytelling veterans who can connect a brand with an audience in a way that feels genuine, empathetic, and mutually beneficial.
How freelancers work
Freelancers often work across multiple companies at once, taking on projects that don’t require a full-time hire.
They tend to have specialist knowledge that in-house teams might lack – think Graphic Designers, Writers, Videographers, Social Media Specialists and the like.
Earnings by industry
Media/Multimedia
Media/Multimedia productions often don’t need full-time staff – instead, they might rely on freelance talent to support specific projects, depending on the expertise needed. This includes working across different locations, requiring either flexible working arrangements or local crew. Hiring freelance experts is a great way to maximise efficiency – and because these specialists aren’t always tied to one production company or location, they can move where they’re needed most.
Marketing
Working as a marketing freelancer is a fantastic way to retain a high level of flexibility and focus on the industries that interest you. While in-house marketers only work for one company, and marketing agencies dictate the brands their teams work with, freelance marketers have the freedom to chase the projects, services, and niches that excite them most.
Arts
For those in the arts, working freelance means being able to pursue incredible opportunities (think once-in-a-lifetime!) whenever they come up. Some of these work types (Set Designers, and Theatre Lighting Operators) might opt for a few big projects a year, or work across multiple smaller projects. Others (Models, Performers, Musicians) benefit from having a more flexible schedule, meaning they can attend auditions or project meetings as needed.
Education
Freelance Educators can choose their own hours, design their own curriculum, and change things up at short notice – for example, offering a one-off weekend workshop before a big recital. For Teachers and Tutors, being a freelancer means being able to work where you’re most needed. It’s a good way to experience variety day to day, while still contributing meaningfully to the lives of students.
