New data from YunoJuno reveals how AI, cloud-native skills, and direct sourcing are transforming the global contractor market in 2026.

NEW YORK and LONDON, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — YunoJuno, the leading end-to-end Freelancer Management System (FMS), today released its 2026 Contractor and Freelancer Rates Report, providing the most comprehensive global analysis of contractor rates, workforce trends, sourcing behavior, and AI adoption to date across technology, business, and creative disciplines.

Drawing on more than 182,000 workforce data points from the YunoJuno platform from 2024 and 2025 the report offers organizations and independent professionals an authoritative benchmark across global markets.

Technology and infrastructure skills command top rates globally

The report findings reflect a contractor market increasingly shaped by the demand for deep specialist expertise, particularly across AI adoption, cloud infrastructure investment, and software engineering. Technology disciplines continue to command the highest premiums globally, with Cloud & Infrastructure contractors reaching average rates of $93/hr (US) and £566/day (UK) – among the highest of any discipline tracked.

Across all disciplines, average contractor rates reached $68/hr (US) and £410/day (UK), with Software Engineering ($88/hr | £533/day), Product Management ($86/hr | £521/day), and Strategy ($85/hr | £518/day) all sitting well above the market average.

AI skills reshaping delivery, roles and rates

One of the report’s most significant findings is how AI is being adopted. Rather than creating a distinct new skills category, AI is becoming an embedded capability layer across existing disciplines – most prominently in Data & Analytics with 26%+ AI-related skills concentration.

“While much of the conversation around AI has focused on disruption, the reality is more nuanced,” said Runar Reistrup, CEO at YunoJuno. “AI is not creating an entirely separate category for specialism, but instead an embedded layer, reshaping how work is being delivered. The contractors creating the most value are those combining deep domain expertise with AI-enabled execution.”

At an overall level, AI skills are associated with a modest rate uplift indicating that adoption alone is not yet driving significant pricing differences across the market. However, this varies meaningfully by discipline with Software Engineering showing a strong rate uplift (+26%), reflecting the high value of AI integration within engineering workflows. Project Management follows (+17%) where AI is directly impacting delivery speed and operational efficiency.

Direct sourcing dominates

The report also reveals a meaningful shift in how enterprises are accessing contractors and freelancers. More than four in five contractor bookings (over 80%) were made through clients’ own direct contractor networks, underscoring the growing strategic importance of Freelancer Management Systems (FMSs) in helping organizations build, manage, and redeploy trusted talent pools at scale.

Direct bookings have grown year-over-year, pointing to a more selective and operationally mature sourcing model, with organizations using external channels to solve capability gaps and delivery complexity. At the same time, the speed advantage of contractor hiring remains a critical driver – with onboarding taking place within hours compared to permanent hiring lead times of three to six months.

Access the 2026 report

YunoJuno’s 2026 Contractor and Freelancer Rates Report is available to access and download at www.yunojuno.com/freelancer-rates-report, with benchmarks spanning AI & Automation, Cloud & Infrastructure, Data & Analytics, Product Management, Software Engineering, Marketing & Communications, Strategy, UX, Creative, Design, and broader Business Operations disciplines.

About YunoJuno
YunoJuno is the leading global end-to-end Freelancer Management System (FMS) that helps enterprises source, onboard, manage, and pay contractors globally with complete compliance and transparency. YunoJuno’s AI-powered technology streamlines the entire contractor engagement process while mitigating compliance risks, currently serving 12,000 businesses and hundreds of thousands of independent contractors and freelancers worldwide.

For more information, visit www.yunojuno.com

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SOURCE YunoJuno

HELSINKI, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Forus Oy has selected Elisa Industriq’s Gridle to optimize and operate 15 MW of battery energy storage across two sites in Finland. The projects support grid balancing and flexibility needs in a power system with increasing renewable energy generation.

The assets, 5 MW / 10 MWh in Imatra and 10 MW / 20 MWh in Sodankylä, are grid-scale batteries designed to balance the Finnish electricity grid and capture maximum value from electricity markets. The projects are implemented through the project companies Imatran Akku Oy and Sodankylä Akku Oy. Suomen Sähköverkot Oy, backed by Finnish private investors, has acquired a majority ownership stake in the projects. Forus has led the project development, including site identification, permitting, and EPC contracting.

Gridle will provide Forus with a route-to-market service, acting as the optimizer and market operator for both projects. Gridle connects the assets to electricity markets, operates them, and manages their participation across balancing and wholesale markets to maximize value and performance.

“We chose Gridle because it combines proven operational reliability, strong market expertise and experience in operating critical infrastructure. As battery markets become more competitive, we need a partner that can continuously optimize performance and adapt to evolving market conditions,” says Julius Maylett, Head of Project Management at Forus.

Gridle has developed its in-house optimization and market access capabilities by operating distributed battery portfolios across industrial, residential and telecom environments, the most complex form of battery optimization. This is a strong foundation for expansion into grid-scale optimization. Gridle has recently announced several grid-scale projects, such as with Finnish energy companies Vantaan Energia and Nivos.

“Grid-scale batteries are a strategic focus for Gridle. Maximizing value requires continuous optimization, accurate forecasting, and reliable operation in changing market conditions. We are pleased to see pioneering companies such as Forus turn to Gridle to maximize the returns of their energy storage investments,” says Markus Logren, Business Lead at Gridle, Elisa Industriq.

Forus continues to expand its pipeline of energy storage and renewable energy projects. The Imatra and Sodankylä projects represent the next step in scaling storage assets across Finland.

More information & interview requests:

Elisa Industriq Mediadesk, mediadesk@elisaindustriq.com, tel. +358 50 305 1605
Forus, Julius Maylett, julius.maylett@forus.fi, tel. +358 40 187 6408

About Gridle

Gridle is an AI-powered energy flexibility service that maximizes the value of flexible energy assets such as batteries. Gridle turns energy flexibility, the ability to shift when electricity is produced or consumed, into financial value. Gridle controls energy assets intelligently and decides when energy assets should use, store or produce energy. It then offers this flexibility capacity to electricity markets that balance supply and demand, enabling customers to cut energy costs and gain new revenue streams. The service is vendor-neutral and ensures the security of mission-critical assets and infrastructure. Drawing on Elisa’s 140+ years of innovation and automation and its expertise in operating nationally critical infrastructure, Gridle delivers dependable energy services that translates directly into operational efficiency and measurable financial outcomes. elisaindustriq.com/gridle

About Elisa Industriq

Elisa Industriq creates software solutions for operational intelligence by multiplying industrial knowledge with AI innovation. Our businesses - camLine, sedApta, Polystar, CalcuQuote, TenForce, and Gridle – serve over 2,500 clients internationally in the manufacturing, telecommunications, and energy sectors. 

Elisa Industriq delivers business value for customers by reducing costs, improving quality, and generating growth. Our software solutions integrate with customers’ existing systems to optimize their operations in areas including manufacturing execution, supply chain optimization, network analytics, and energy management. 

Elisa Industriq is part of Elisa, a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services headquartered in Finland. Our shared mission is a sustainable future through digitalization. Elisa Industriq employs over 1,500 experts in Europe, Asia, and North America. elisaindustriq.com

About Forus

Forus Oy is a Finnish project developer focused on scaling commercially viable climate solutions. The company develops projects across renewable energy and storage, and other emerging technologies that support the energy transition.

Forus combines technical project development with a strong commercial focus, covering the full lifecycle from site identification and permitting to EPC contracting and construction readiness. Forus exists to accelerate the energy transition by turning complex infrastructure projects into viable, scalable and bankable solutions. The company is backed by experienced private investors and is actively developing its portfolio in Finland. forus.fi/en 

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This strategic initiative aligns with Danantara Indonesia’s streamlining directive to TelkomGroup in strengthening its structure and sharpening its business focus.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PT Multimedia Nusantara (TelkomMetra), an operating company of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom), has officially signed a Shares Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the Fullerton Health group of companies (Fullerton Health) regarding the full divestment of PT Administrasi Medika (AdMedika), including its subsidiary TelkoMedika (collectively referred to as AdMedika Group). The SPA between TelkomMetra as the seller and Fullerton Health as the buyer, which was executed on Tuesday (2/6), marks an important milestone in TelkomMetra’s portfolio optimization efforts, while positioning AdMedika Group to enter its next phase of growth under Fullerton Health’s ownership, including opportunities for regional expansion.

In line with the SOE streamlining aspirations mandated by Danantara Indonesia, this move forms part of the effort to build a more focused, agile, and globally competitive business structure for TelkomGroup. This initiative also represents part of the execution of TLKM 30’s medium-term transformation strategy, particularly under the third pillar through the restructuring of non-core business portfolios to strengthen the company’s focus on its core telecommunications and digital businesses.

Managing Director Business-2 of PT Danantara Asset Management, Setyanto Hantoro, stated, “This strategic step is aligned with the transformation and SOE portfolio restructuring agenda currently being driven by Danantara to build companies that are more focused, healthier, and globally competitive. Through a well-directed portfolio restructuring strategy and collaboration with global partners such as Fullerton Health, we believe this synergy will strengthen the capabilities of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem, particularly in the healthcare sector, while creating sustainable long-term value for all stakeholders.”

“TelkomGroup continues to consistently implement its business portfolio restructuring strategy to build a company that is more agile, efficient, and focused on value creation. We view strategic partnerships such as this not merely as a corporate transaction, but as part of a broader effort to create a more optimal business structure, enabling each entity to grow more aggressively while opening wider opportunities for future business innovation,” said President Director of Telkom, Dian Siswarini.

Meanwhile, President Director of TelkomMetra, Pramasaleh Haryo Utomo, added, “TelkomMetra views this move as a strategic momentum to strengthen AdMedika’s long-term value creation. Under Fullerton Health’s ownership, we believe AdMedika is in a solid position to enhance its capabilities, expand its business scale, and gain access to a broader regional healthcare ecosystem, while maintaining the strong foundation that has been built in Indonesia.”

AdMedika Group possesses a strong business foundation, technological capabilities, and proven track record in Indonesia’s healthcare administration (third party administrator/TPA) industry. As part of Fullerton Health, which has extensive regional experience across the Asia-Pacific region, this collaboration is expected to strengthen AdMedika Group’s position as one of Indonesia’s leading healthcare administration and managed care providers.

“This acquisition reaffirms Fullerton Health’s long-term commitment to Indonesia and our continued investment in building an integrated and scalable healthcare platform. With the integration of AdMedika Group into the Fullerton Health ecosystem, we are strengthening our operational capabilities in healthcare administration services while leveraging the regional network we have established to address the continuously evolving healthcare needs in Indonesia,” said Ho Kuen Loon, Group CEO of Fullerton Health.

Through this strategic move, TelkomGroup, TelkomMetra, and Fullerton Health Group aim to strengthen the healthcare and digital services ecosystem in Indonesia, while creating sustainable added value for all stakeholders.

About AdMedika Group 
AdMedika Group, acquired by TelkomGroup through TelkomMetra in 2010, is a third party administrator (TPA) company with the largest network in Indonesia, providing claims management solutions, provider network management, and integrated digital health services for corporations, insurance companies, and institutions. As part of the national healthcare ecosystem, AdMedika combines technological excellence with proven operational capabilities to deliver fast, accurate, and transparent services to customers. For more information, visit https://www.admedika.co.id/.

About Fullerton Health 
Established in 2010, Fullerton Health is a leading integrated healthcare solutions provider in Asia Pacific. Operating across nine markets, the Group runs approximately 550 healthcare facilities and partners with more than 20,000 providers, delivering end-to-end services spanning managed care, primary care, diagnostics, speciality services and ancillary solutions.

Supported by a workforce of almost 8,000 employees, Fullerton Health serves over 26,000 corporate clients and facilitates beyond 14 million healthcare transactions annually, impacting more than 4 million lives across the region.

Combining clinical excellence, corporate healthcare expertise and digital innovation, Fullerton Health is committed to delivering seamless, accessible and trusted healthcare for all. For more information, visit https://www.fullertonhealth.com/.

CONTACT:
Galih Dzulfiqar
dzulfiqar.galih@edelman.com
896-1992-3673

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SOURCE PT Multimedia Nusantara (TelkomMetra)