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Creative freelancers report rising stress as AI anxiety and budget cuts bite

1 min

Freelance creatives are facing a squeeze from both sides, from the way client budgets are shrinking and AI anxiety is growing, according to new research from The Accountancy Partnership.

By Roisin Teeling

  • Data & Insights

The survey of 152 self-employed professionals found that half (50.2%) named client budget cuts as the biggest negative impact on their work in 2025, while 50.7% reported increased stress or anxiety. Nearly half said they regularly worked unpaid hours each week.

Inconsistent work was cited as the biggest structural threat to the sector by around four in ten (40.3%), and nearly a third (30.3%) said tax administration had negatively affected their business.

On AI, 43.3% of creatives working across writing, design, marketing and the arts believe the technology will negatively affect their industry over the next five years, against around one in five who expect a positive impact.

Despite the pressure, nearly two thirds said they remained confident of matching or exceeding last year’s profits.