#MedComms Freelancing Barometer 2026

This article was originally posted by the MedComms Workbook on LinkedIn on 16th February 2026. You can see the original article here.

Introduction

We invited all specialist freelancers who currently work in and around MedComms (specialist medical education, medical communications and medical publishing activities) to participate in this survey between 1–31 January 2026. Participation was on an entirely anonymous basis, and the results are now freely available.

This is the third year of the MedComms Freelancing Barometer. The survey was originally run by Peter Llewellyn in January 2024. Since January 2025, the Barometer has been run Eleanor Steele, the MedComms Mentor and director of the MedComms Workbook.

A dedicated results webinar was held on Thursday 12th February hosted by Eleanor Steele, featuring expert panel members Lori De Milto, MJ (US/Canada), Heather L. Mason PhD (Europe) and Steph Carter (UK). You can watch a recording of the webinar here.

Who responded?

In 2026, 264 people responded, compared with 344 in 2025 and 550 in 2024. While the lower response rate for this year’s survey is something we're paying attention to – and explored in the webinar – the data we have collected continues to provide valuable insights into the freelancing landscape.

Of these 264:

• 61% were from the UK, 12% were from Europe, 20% were from the US and Canada and 7% were from the rest of the world

• 69% were medical writers, 10% were editors, 6% provide client services support, and a range of other roles including strategic consultancy (6%) and medical affairs (4%) were also reported

• 92% said their freelance work was their sole income

These responses remain broadly similar to those received in previous years.

Freelance workflow and income: The recovery continues

After the challenging times we experienced post-COVID, the data shows a recovery trajectory across the three years of survey data.

• In 2024, only 47% had worked as many hours as they wanted the previous year

• In 2025, this rose to 55%

• In 2026, this has now reached 63%

There is also an improvement in the proportion of respondents reporting that their income in the previous year was more than expected (22% in 2026, compared with 10% in 2024 and 16% in 2025), though a significant proportion still did not earn as much as expected (31% in 2026, compared with 45% in 2024 and 35% in 2025).

Based on the comments, it seems that many people have been taking on any work offered, to ensure they work enough. Several people used the phrase ‘feast or famine’, with people who said they had earned more than expected still reporting dry periods with little or no work, even if this balanced out to a more positive picture over the whole year.

Rate changes

In terms of average hourly or daily rates:

• 38% reported increasing their rates in 2025 (compared with 35% in both previous years)

• Only 4% decreased their rates

• 55% kept their rates the same

• Just 2% didn't know what had happened to their rates (down from 5% in 2024!)

This suggests growing confidence in the market, with more freelancers feeling able to increase their rates.

The comments accompanying this question showed some freelancers opted for increasing rates only with new clients rather than across the board. However, those reporting that they had increased rates with existing clients expressed pleasant surprise that there had been very little push-back, despite anxiety before broaching the issue.

Freelance clients

The pattern of client diversity continues to evolve. Looking at the number of clients worked with in 2025:

• 38% worked with 1–3 clients (compared with 43% in 2023 and 39% in 2024)

• 41% worked with 4–6 clients (compared with 35% in 2023 and 45% in 2024)

• 11% worked with 7–10 clients

• 4% worked with 11–20 clients

• Less than 1% worked with more than 20 clients

While many freelancers are diversifying their client base, income concentration remains notable. When asked about the percentage of annual income from their single biggest client:

• 49% reported that over half of their income came from one client – this is up from 44% in both 2024 and 2025

• 38% said their biggest client represented 25–50% of their income

• Only 14% had their biggest client representing less than 25% of income

Several people commented that they had signed contracts with clients but then not received any work with them, some even describing this as being ‘ghosted’ rather than being updated on a change of plans.

Recruiters are still a minor source of work according to the survey data. In 2026, 87% reported they had not obtained any freelance work through a commercial recruitment specialist – virtually unchanged from 88% in 2025 and 85% in 2024. The comments on this question indicate a lack of trust, and those reporting that they had received work via a recruiter commented that this was generally by working with someone they knew well and had an ongoing professional relationship with. This suggests that most freelancers continue to build their client base through direct relationships and networking.

Job satisfaction: Sustained high levels

The majority of freelancers continue to report being satisfied with their freelance role:

• 76% were satisfied or very satisfied (30% very satisfied, 46% satisfied)

• 15% were neutral

• 10% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied but only 4% actively plan to stop freelancing

• 81% said they were unlikely to stop freelancing in the next year

• 14% said they might stop if an in-house opportunity arises

The comments reveal that while the flexibility of freelancing is a core driver, though can be a double-edged sword if boundaries are not maintained. Also, while some relish the freedom that freelancing can offer, there were concerns about the need to find more stable employment in-house if work is not consistently available.

AI: From curiosity to mainstream adoption

Perhaps the most dramatic (but possibly unsurprising!) shift in this year's data is around AI adoption. The three-year trend tells a compelling story:

AI use over time

Article content

In just two years, AI has moved from a niche tool used by 40% of freelancers to a mainstream technology used by 77%. The proportion using AI "a lot" has nearly quadrupled from 6% to 22%.

NEW: How are freelancers are using AI?

This year, we asked a new question about specific AI use cases. Notably, AI is being used primarily for:

• Ideation and planning (brainstorming, outlining)

• Information processing (literature searching, summarising)

• Administrative tasks (emails, meetings, scheduling)

Lower adoption was seen for final content creation tasks, with only 13% using it for plain-language summaries and 10% for social media/news content. This suggests freelancers remain cautious about using AI for client-facing deliverables, preferring to use it as a productivity and ideation tool rather than for direct content creation.

Interestingly, only 14% of respondents said they don't use any AI tools at all while answering this question – in contrast with the 22% who answered ‘No’ on the previous question! This suggests that there may be a small but significant segment of respondents who don’t see themselves as AI users, but do actually use AI tools for some tasks.

Interest in AI training remains strong, with approximately 60% of respondents indicating they would be interested in training on AI for MedComms freelancers – consistent with previous years.

The state of the industry

The final question of the survey asked respondents to comment on the current state of MedComms and the Pharma industry. I used Claude to create this thematic summary of the 57 responses, which I then edited:

1. AI IMPACT (21% of comments) - The dominant concern

• Anxiety: AI taking over enjoyable work, ruining quality

• Threat perception: Jobs being replaced, "avalanche of garbage"

• Key quote: "The things I enjoy doing are being taken over by AI so I plan to jump ship."

2. MARKET RECOVERY (16%) - Cautious optimism

• Pattern: 2023-2024 were terrible → 2025 improving → 2026 cautiously optimistic

• Key quote: "Things seem brighter for me this year... I'm turning down work."

• But: Not back to pre-2023 levels, still some struggling

3. ETHICS & QUALITY DECLINE (14%) - Deep alarm

• Issues: ICMJE guidelines ignored, peer-reviewed journals struggling with volume of submissions, "good enough" culture

• Key quote: "Seems like the whole of Med Comms is becoming less ethical in the rush to 'get things done'... And it doesn't seem like anyone cares."

4. AGENCY CONSOLIDATION & PE DAMAGE (12%)

• Blame: the impact of redundancies, mergers and private equity on agency staffing and culture

• Result: agencies not using freelancers/using freelancers in a different way, new freelancers flooding the market, saturation

• Key quote: "Huge damage done by Private Equity purchase of many agencies/agency groups."

5. UNCERTAINTY & INSTABILITY (12%)

• Pattern: Constant pharma restructuring, extreme peaks/troughs

• Result: uncertainty across the industry continues

• Key quote: "For the last 2 years there has not been any stable periods."

OVERALL SENTIMENT: "Cautiously relieved but deeply concerned"

• 55% NEGATIVE - AI threats, ethics declining, uncertainty

• 25% POSITIVE - Recovery, grateful for flexibility

• 20% NEUTRAL/MIXED - Acknowledging both sides

Conclusion

The 2026 #MedComms Freelancing Barometer reveals a generally positive trajectory for freelancers, despite the declining response rate.

Key takeaways include:

• Recovery is real: Work availability and income expectations continue to improve, with 63% now working as many hours as they want and 22% earning more than expected – both significant improvements from the difficult 2023 year.

• AI has gone mainstream: In just two years, AI adoption has nearly doubled, with three-quarters of freelancers now using these tools. The data shows pragmatic adoption focused on productivity and ideation rather than replacing core creative work.

• Satisfaction remains high: The majority of freelancers continue to be satisfied with their roles, and fewer are considering returns to in-house positions.

• Client relationships remain direct: Despite the growth in AI and technology platforms, most freelancers continue to build their business through direct client relationships rather than recruitment channels.

Looking ahead, the combination of improving market conditions and smart technology adoption suggests a promising outlook for MedComms freelancing, though challenges around income concentration and market competition remain areas to watch.