The new economy of New York City is affecting the way in which artists and other creative professionals are operating. According to a recent September 2026 report by the Center for an Urban Future (CFU), more creative workers in New York City are self-employed despite the decrease in the total number of jobs in the city’s creative industries since the onset of the pandemic.
The report states that the number of self-employed workers in the creative industries of New York City increased by 12% between 2019 and 2025. Self-employed workers account for 16.1% of the city’s creative industry workforce as opposed to 6.9% of the total private sector workers in the city.
The Prevalence of Freelancing Jobs
Freelancing has always been characteristic of the creative industries of New York. Currently, according to recent research, a growing trend is observed in the selection of this type of employment after the pandemic.
In general, the number of jobs in the creative industries of New York City has dropped 6% since 2019, while the self-employed creatives increased by 12%. In New York City as a whole, the number of self-employed increased by only 3.1% in the same period.
This trend can be observed in various creative occupations, where artists and other creative professionals engage more and more in individual contracts and freelancing.
For an employee, the self-employed type of work implies flexibility and the ability to work for several companies simultaneously. However, freelancers do not receive the same benefits as employees.
Affordable Costs Increase Pressure on Creative Professionals
As the freelance industry increases, New York City becomes expensive when it comes to housing, healthcare, and other expenditures. In such conditions, it becomes difficult for workers who have to deal with fluctuating incomes depending on projects that they work on.
According to CUF research, this trend poses an even greater challenge because the increase in freelance employment occurs amid a decrease in overall creative employment. This means that today’s benefits framework is designed primarily to meet the needs of employees who have stable jobs and employers.
It is especially important in a city in which creative professionals are involved in major industries, such as media, entertainment, fashion, advertising, design, and art. The city’s broader cultural and event landscape also continues to attract creative professionals and visitors, as seen in major events such as the 2026 NYC Marathon.
Creative Economy of New York Competing
There is an increasing trend of cities competing for creative workers nationwide, and New York is no exception.
CUF’s study reveals the shrinking creative workforce in New York, following years of its expansion. Previous findings showed a sharp increase in the population of artists in New York City from 2004 to 2019, followed by a decline of 4.4% between 2019 and 2024. The number of jobs in the creative industries of the city has decreased by about 6% during the same period.
This increased the awareness of how expensive it is to be a creative professional in New York. According to CUF’s research referenced in its general overview, there were other cities like Nashville, Dallas, and Miami where the creative workforce was growing in recent years.
New York has the largest creative economy in the United States, and any workforce change will have a great impact on the city’s business and culture.
Portable Benefits Could Support Freelance Workers
Portable benefits for freelance creative workers is another idea presented in the September 2026 CUF report. It would be possible for such workers to have some benefits when changing their clients, contracts, and even employers.
This idea has also been presented in the current policy planning of the New York City. In fact, the 2026 Racial Equity Plan of New York City includes an initiative to support the portable benefits system for freelance workers in the creative industries.
In general, this issue raises a question about whether the systems of benefits that have been created on the basis of stable relationship between employer and worker can effectively help workers who work under different forms of employment.
In terms of New York City, the problem is wider than only the problem of freelance artists.
What the Shift Means for NYC’s Creative Economy
The rising proportion of independent creative workers reflects the changing nature of employment trends among New York’s creative sector. While freelancing provides individuals with the freedom and flexibility they need, it might make the process of gaining access to healthcare and retirement benefits more difficult.
In the ongoing struggle for retaining talented people, it is likely that supporting employees in whatever way possible will soon become an integral part of the discussion concerning the creative economy of New York.
These findings by CUF have revealed two concurrent trends – increased number of independent creative workers and shrinking size of the creative labor market since 2019.
Conclusion
The creative workers of New York City have come to rely more and more on freelance and self-employed work. According to the recent report by Center for an Urban Future, the number of creative workers who have become self-employed has gone up substantially even as the employment in the industry has been falling since 2019.
This creates several questions regarding sustainability of artistic profession in an expensive metropolis. Portable benefits are among the suggested solutions.
FAQs
This trend has accelerated during the time of the pandemic. The number of traditional jobs in the creative industry has decreased while the numbers of freelancing and independent jobs increased. The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) notes that the self-employed creative workers increased by 12% from 2019 to 2025.
According to CUF, 16.1% of workers in the creative industry were self-employed in 2025. It is significantly higher compared to the 6.9% in the private sector citywide.
Portable benefits mean that the worker still possesses certain benefits even if he or she changes the employer. There is an opportunity to create a portable benefits program for the NYC’s freelance creative workers. CUF proposes the implementation of this pilot program.
