Updates Spring 2026: Helping SMBs Get Work Done with AI
Uma leads what’s new for SMBs
With my own company
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are building new products, entering new markets, and solving new complex challenges in the AI era, often with lean teams and limited time.
The challenge isn’t ambition. It’s execution. finding qualified talent is one of their biggest challenges, and more are turning to independent professionals as a way to stay agile and navigate today’s tough macro environment.1
Take it from a small business using AI to accelerate drug discovery and end disease, that relies on highly specialized expertise that is difficult to source through traditional hiring. With Upwork, their search for the right experts went from months to days, and they were able to operate at a much larger scale than their in-house team alone would allow.
Upwork Updates Spring 2026 is designed for these businesses.
More News
View all news →This year, has ushered in new developments and launched new initiative —all with the goal of preparing leaders, businesses and skilled professionals for the future of work.
A new platform feature calculates and withholds tax obligations automatically for placements spanning multiple EU jurisdictions, eliminating a manual reconciliation step that agencies previously handled in spreadsheets outside the platform. The rollout covers the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France at launch, with additional jurisdictions planned for later this year based on customer demand.
The Dutch DBA Act (Deregulering Beoordeling Arbeidsrelaties) enforces joint responsibility of clients and contractors to prevent false self-employment. The Netherlands Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) assesses working relationships; if a zzp'er (self-employed professional) does not meet entrepreneurship conditions, they face additional tax assessments, repayment of tax benefits, and potential fines. Clients may owe payroll tax, pension contributions, and fines. From 1 January 2025, unintentional false self-employment triggers retroactive assessments; intentional cases can be backdated further. Model agreements remain valid until 2029 but do not guarantee protection. A new Self-Employment Act (Zelstandigenwet) is announced for 1 January 2028, introducing two tests for self-employment and a special commission. Businesses hiring freelancers must reassess working relationships to avoid financial and legal consequences. Some Hyperlink Here
Some summary here