Contingent Workforce Resolutions for 2026
New Year’s resolutions tend to focus on personal goals, like exercising, eating better, or saving money. But we’re always focused on ways to improve how work gets done for businesses. We’re wondering: how will you improve your contingent workforce practices this year? And, maybe more importantly, what gets in the way of making those improvements stick?
Recently, a core workforce lesson has emerged: flexibility is not the differentiator it used to be. What really matters is having a workforce model that can grow smoothly, stay compliant, and remain competitive.
Summary
In 2026, success will depend on a disciplined, unified workforce model that can scale, stay compliant, and remain competitive. Fragmentation across functions, vendors, and systems is the main risk. AI often makes this risk worse. Structure, visibility, and clear ownership are essential. With worker-classification enforcement tightening, organizations must focus on compliance and governance. Those who win will combine flexibility with discipline to increase speed and reduce risk. They may need expert support to find and fix gaps.
Contingent Workforce Trend #1
Fragmentation happens when workforce decisions are spread across functions, vendors, and systems with inconsistent rules. SHRM predicts that in 2026, workforce fragmentation will peak, with more varied worker types, arrangements, structures, and tools. HR will need to adapt….quickly.
In a recent article about 2026 Contingent Workforce Trends, Seth Stein, CEO of Workwell North America , says organizations are increasingly relying on contingent workforce solutions because they deliver flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and access to specialized talent. Here’s how you can spot fragmentation:
We explore this topic further in a recent blog: Fragmentation Risks in Contingent Workforce Models – Workwell North America
Contingent Workforce Trend #2
In 2026, AI will have an even bigger role in operations, especially in hiring, workforce planning, and productivity tooling. HR Dive’s 2026 trend list puts AI at the center of what leaders will spend time on. ADP’s 2026 tech trend also points to more automation (including “agentic” capability) paired with stronger governance and tighter HR-IT collaboration.
While AI is a powerful tool, it cannot solve every problem or prevent fragmentation. In fact, it can actually make things more fragmented. We have explored these issues in depth, including in our AI compliance webinar with in-house counsel, Christian Moro, who explained how organizations can leverage AI while protecting themselves against legal and operational risks.
Contingent Workforce Trend #3
Compliance. Compliance. And one more time to be clear…COMPLIANCE!
If you manage any form of contingent workforce program, worker classification is still one of the highest-impact, highest-frequency risks businesses face. (As a bonus, regulatory bodies still face discourse when addressing and posturing the issue, adding more “fun” for your HR team.)
The DOL’s independent contractor final rule (effective March 11, 2024) remains the formal reference point for classification analysis under the FLSA. More recently, the DOL Field Assistance Bulletin 2025-1 provides enforcement guidance on independent contractor misclassification analysis and explicitly covers how field staff should approach enforcement. On top of that, recent reporting indicates DOL rule activity is again moving through the White House review process, yet another strong indicator that organizations should plan for continued churn rather than a “settled” classification environment.
Worker classification enforcement is tightening, and even if you have good intentions in the way you categorize your workers, regulatory bodies will expect you to get it right. Fragmentation in your business increases the risk of misclassification, especially when vendors, contracts, onboarding flows, and role definitions are spread out. To maintain healthy compliance for the sake of your business, workers, and reputation, it is imperative to have a disciplined, unified operating model or a workforce partner to help you navigate complex legal landscapes and ensure you are covered in the event of an audit.
2026: The Year of Flexibility with Discipline
Organizations that win in 2026 will do a few unglamorous things well to keep their process running perfectly (or close to it):
The workforce resolution that will reap the most benefits in 2026 is to build a workforce model that stays flexible while increasing your visibility, reducing risk, and improving execution speed.
If your program feels slow, or you cannot confidently identify who is working, where, under what terms, and under whose oversight, there’s productivity (and risk) leaking somewhere structurally. That can be fixed with design and intention.
Does this sound familiar? Contact our team of experts, and we will help you identify those gaps and, more importantly, show you how to fix them.