I think the real shift is in "productizing" yourself (if you're able to). I created https://gloutir.com, a subscription service for design and development. It costs a company roughly 1.2-1.4x an employees actual salary to keep them on the payroll. So a $47,000 a year employee actually costs that company about $65,800. Productizing myself, you can afford to pay me MORE than $47,000 a year, while still paying out less than you would for a regular employee. Plus, I can work for multiple companies at once.

This all sounds like glorified freelancing, and it basically is, but the fixed monthly rates are more preferable for everyone involved vs billable hours.