The U.S. professional services market, historically one of the most mature, is now undergoing rapid transformation. Rising costs, workforce volatility, and fragmented regulation are putting traditional talent access models under increasing pressure.
For procurement departments and business teams, the challenge is now clear: adapting their practices to identify, contract, and manage external experts in an environment that is both more complex and more mobile. Insights from Antoine Clément and Louis Rivest shed light on this transition and the new balances it imposes on organizations.
A pioneering market, now more volatile
The United States counts nearly 73 million independent workers, including 27.6 million full-time freelancers. This market depth can largely be explained by the historical role of Silicon Valley, which embedded freelancing and flexible work practices at an early stage.
Tech companies established a culture of freelancing and flexible work very early on. This helped structure an already mature market, with highly experienced talent accustomed to working independently.
However, this stability is now being challenged. Return-to-office policies imposed by some companies, combined with persistently low unemployment, are increasing tensions. Added to this are the effects of government shutdowns and waves of restructuring in the tech sector, which are fueling a lasting climate of uncertainty.
This reshaping is accelerating market mobility: more and more professionals are viewing freelancing as a more attractive alternative to traditional employment models.
Many are wondering whether freelancing does not offer a more flexible and appealing alternative than returning to the office.
Layoffs in the tech sector have also given rise to a new generation of specialized freelancers, particularly in generative AI, automation, and advanced cloud architectures. The talent pool is being renewed, but competition is intensifying for the most highly specialized expertise.
Nearshoring becomes a priority for large U.S. enterprises
The very high cost of IT services in the United States is no longer just driving budget optimization; it is triggering a structural shift toward Canada and Latin America, now seen as natural extensions of the U.S. market.
Canada ranks among the most sought-after destinations, particularly for finance, data, and cybersecurity needs. Exchange rates play a key role, with the Canadian dollar averaging 25 to 30% lower than the U.S. dollar over the past five years.
Latin America is also experiencing remarkable momentum. The IT sector is growing rapidly, and Colombia in particular is attracting U.S. companies thanks to a growing talent pool and a high level of English proficiency.
LATAM nearshoring makes it possible to find senior experts, in the same time zone, at a more competitive cost and in a more stable environment than traditional offshore models.
This dynamic primarily affects pharma, finance, energy, and cybersecurity, where operational continuity and regulatory stability are critical.
Key professional services hubs in the United States
These dynamics are reflected in the geography of the U.S. market. Hubs structure investment, talent flows, and the concentration of expertise needs. They also play a key role in companies’ onshore and nearshore strategies, as they concentrate investments, expertise, and operational demand.
Northeast (Boston, New York, Washington): pharma, biotech, finance, government
North Carolina and Virginia: biotech, manufacturing, supply chain
Texas (Houston, Austin): energy, oil & gas, data centers
California (Bay Area): big tech, AI, innovation
These hubs have seen massive technological and industrial investments over recent years, reinforcing their attractiveness for companies seeking highly specialized expertise.
MSP dominance revealing its limits
The U.S. market has long been structured around global MSPs. Their role remains essential in managing supplier panels, but their model struggles to adapt to the rise of freelancing, whose legal and administrative requirements differ from those of consulting firms.
Most MSPs manage established suppliers very well, but not freelancers. This creates risks, additional costs, and a loss of visibility. Many clients are now looking for a partner capable of handling this specific segment.
As a result, more and more organizations are seeking partners able to specifically manage freelancers. This need is paving the way for more specialized models: MSP-like solutions dedicated to independents, which handle compliance, administration, and visibility while offering a more flexible approach than traditional frameworks centered on established suppliers.
A fragmented regulatory framework and a deep cultural shift
U.S. regulation varies significantly from state-to-state classification criteria, contractual obligations, administrative requirements, access to public funding, and more.
For organizations operating nationwide, this diversity creates significant compliance risks and makes it difficult to implement consistent processes.
Understanding local legislation is often a major friction point for companies operating at a national level.
This is compounded by a cultural factor: companies remain attached to their historical supplier panels and large consulting firms, even as the rise of freelancing and nearshoring pushes them to broaden their collaboration models.
The U.S. professional services market is also highly digitalized, but adoption of external talent management tools remains uneven across sectors. Some industries are highly advanced in digital sourcing, while others still rely heavily on manual processes, creating a two-speed landscape.
What this means for U.S. companies
Access to talent is no longer just about identifying experts. Organizations must now balance cost reduction, risk management, and local compliance, a threefold challenge that is reshaping strategies for accessing external skills.
They operate in a market where freelancers are numerous but visibility is decreasing, costs are rising, and traditional MSP models are showing their limits. Structuring governance capable of integrating freelancers, specialized firms, IT services companies, and nearshore experts has become essential.
This equation is also influenced by U.S. political choices. Protectionist or pro–free trade orientations directly affect labor costs, talent availability, and trade-offs between onshore, nearshore, and offshore models.
The issue is no longer just identifying talent, but mastering risks, costs, and compliance.
A solid market, but in transition
The United States remains, without doubt, the world’s leading professional services market. However, the combination of economic pressures, geographic reshaping, and regulatory uncertainty is opening a new chapter. Organizations able to adopt more open, more coherent, and more diversified governance of their external talent will be best positioned to benefit from this new cycle.
To explore these topics further or share your own observations of the U.S. market, you can contact our local teams.
