Freelance professions are growing despite the crisis: expectations and challenges are rising!

Freelance professions are growing despite the crisis: expectations and challenges are rising!

There is a remarkable phenomenon in Germany's current economic situation: while the overall economy is stumbling, the freelance professions are growing. In a survey by the Federal Association of Freelance Professions (BFB), 39.5 percent of freelancers rate their business situation as good, which represents an increase of over two percentage points compared to the previous year. However, this positive assessment is in stark contrast to the challenges facing the broader economy; The Ifo Institute only predicts measly growth of 0.2 percent for 2025. Many even fear a third year of crisis in a row, as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry states.

But not all freelancers are optimistic about the future. While legal, tax and business advice is certainly confident, the healthcare professions are expressing considerable concerns. According to the latest survey, a third of freelancers predict a less favorable development in the next six months. The uncertainty stems from the crises of recent years, including the corona pandemic, rising energy costs and the ongoing shortage of skilled workers.

Personnel issues and workloads

Workforce planning is another hot topic. A positive trend is that 14.1 percent of those surveyed expect their number of employees to increase in the next two years. This is an increase from 12.8 percent last year. At the same time, a significant proportion also say that they do not want to cut any employees - the number of freelancers who expect to cut staff has fallen from 22.7 percent to 19.4 percent.

A clear signal that reflects the committed utilization of freelancers: 36.5 percent are already working at their limit, and 41.7 percent state that they are between 75 and 100 percent utilized. This indicates a tight labor market that hardly allows any spare capacity. But how many freelancers fear overload? Currently, 35.2 percent report overload, and around 10 percent expect the situation to worsen in the next six months.

The pressure on politics

With this worrying situation, the pressure on the federal government is growing. BFB President Stephan Hofmeister urgently calls for less bureaucracy, faster approval procedures and more stable framework conditions. It is also noteworthy that 98 percent of German medium-sized companies would like to see an end to bureaucracy. It is often noted that there is a critical education and skilled worker situation, with the BFB also pointing out a gap in the government's immediate investment program.

The skilled labor monitoring of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) deals intensively with the question of securing skilled workers. The assessment of the unused potential among women, non-Germans and older employees will be crucial for the next few years. Current studies show that demographic change will also have a direct impact on the labor market and could further exacerbate challenges in recruiting personnel.

Despite these mixed conditions, the freelance professions contribute around 10 percent to the gross domestic product. With around 1.485 million self-employed people, this is a contribution that should not be underestimated. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops, especially since immigration and the willingness to work are not sufficient to effectively offset the decline in the workforce.

Overall, a diverse picture emerges for the liberal professions: positive growth contrasts with worrying trends in the general economic situation. The dialogue between the freelance professions and politics could be crucial here in order to get the challenges under control and to secure the sustainable future of this industry.