Key takeaways
- Mortgage processes need to better reflect the realities of independent work.
- Freelancers are increasingly helping businesses fill skills gaps as AI reshapes work.
- Malt says the UK risks falling behind Europe in supporting independent professionals.
According to research revealed today by Nottingham Building Society, nearly half of self-employed people looking to take out a mortgage have delayed or dropped their loan application for reasons linked to irregular earning patterns.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of the mortgage brokers surveyed believed “non-standard” borrowers were likely to become the norm in the coming years, while 31 per cent said they already were.
And more and more working people in the UK will continue to look to work independently, as the impact of AI on businesses changes the working landscape; companies are increasingly shifting to a hybrid workforce of PAYE and freelancers to plug AI skills gaps.
Research by Kings College London highlighted public concern over AI’s impact on jobs, but Malt’s Tech Trends report depicts a very different reality.
“Freelancers - who already account for 5.4million of British tax-payers - are demonstrating the best of British professional agility,” says Hicks. “AI has redefined 2026’s top jobs and while AI technologies have automated many digital tasks across work forces, highly skilled tech professionals have never been more in demand.
“British people who create their own jobs are being penalised.”
Luke Hicks, UK Lead at Malt
“And yet British people who create their own jobs are being penalised: blocked from buying a home, unable to access the same opportunities as others. Meanwhile Europe has already made changes to start addressing this opportunity gap.”
LCL, the French ‘bank for entrepreneurs’ partnered with Malt, a freelance management platform, to help freelancers better access home loans. Their aim is to better respond to the economic realities of a growing population of independent workers.
“We’re already behind Europe,” says Hicks, “and penalising the people who are able to create their own jobs, build the British economy and in many cases plug crucial skills gaps.”
About Malt
Malt is Europe's leading freelance management platform, co-founded in 2013 by Vincent Huguet (CEO). Over 100,000 companies of all sizes source, contract and manage external talents from Malt’s community of more than 1 million highly qualified independent experts across every field - from tech & data to marketing and communication, to management consulting. Finding the right freelancer takes just seconds with Malt AI Search, contracting and payment are seamless, with built-in reporting and compliance, making Malt an end-to-end solution for freelance management. Operating across 9 countries and regions in Europe and the Middle East, Malt achieved a business volume of over €800 million in 2024.
