During the boom of the '90s, some stalwart leftist critics argued that the hyperindividualism of the contractor lifestyle would bite freelancers in the ass when the labor market inevitably slackened. With their fortunes tied more directly to the whims of the markets, it would be the freelancers who would feel the punch first. After all, in a soft labor market, freelance peddlers of labor get slagged. That's partially true. Today's project timelines are getting shorter.
Clients take longer to make decisions.
Some contracts are simply canceled. And networking events are now crowded with hungry consultants hitting each other up for work. Their own flexibility may actually prepare them better for a tougher environment than longtime staff employees who haven't had to measure themselves against real market needs for years. In the new economy, we're all contractors now. Like a wholesaler of energy in a spot market filling in during an energy shortage, for contractors the sky was the limit.