Workforce Transformation

Jacksonville, Fla. – September 28, 2026 -- The U.S. independent workforce reached a record 74.9 million people in 2026, driven by a 114% surge in full-time independent professionals since 2020, according to the 16th annual State of Independence study released by MBO Partners by Beeline.

Full-time independents now account for 22% of all full-time U.S. workers

That share is nearly double the level recorded in 2019, marking a structural shift from supplemental gig work toward independence as a primary career path. Among independent professionals surveyed, 78% plan to remain independent or scale a larger business, with nearly six in 10 intending to continue working independently and one in five aiming to grow their operations.

Armonk, N.Y. – September 20, 2026 -- Seventy-one percent of Chief Human Resource Officers say the ability to supervise, validate and override AI outputs is now the most essential workforce skill, yet only 29% of employees rank judgment as important, according to a new global study from the IBM Institute for Business Value.

London – September 18, 2026 -- Ninety-seven percent of telecom executives expect AI to deliver major productivity and operational gains within five years, yet organizational readiness gaps threaten to blunt that upside, according to the EY-Parthenon Telco of Tomorrow study, based on interviews with nearly 100 telecom C-suite leaders globally.

Cédric Foray, EY Global Telecommunications Sector Leader, said telcos are not short of growth opportunities, but the greater challenge is whether they have the operating models, skills and strategic clarity needed to capture them.