Contractors’ rates under threat from agencies
ContractorCalculator’s CEO Dave Chaplin warns contractors that recruiters are thirsting for higher margins, with the recruitment sector being urged to avoid getting stuck on ‘recessionary margins’. Knowing that agencies will be focused on taking a greater slice of the available margin is valuable intelligence for contractors across all sectors,” says Chaplin. More...
Major IT contractor clients expect budgets to rise
According to a report from IT management consultant Xantus, 70% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in major client companies with sales between £250m and £1bn expect IT budgets to increase over the next 12 months. Particularly welcome news for IT contractors is that only 48% of the CIOs believe their departments are prepared for growth, presenting the possibility of a raft of new IT contracts. More...
Manufacturing contractor demand still strong
The UK’s long-term economic prospects continue their cautious ascent, with the Manufacturing Job Index, a component of the Reed Job Index, continuing to rise. This is good news, as a large number of IT, engineering, technical and interim management contractors depend on the ongoing strength of the UK’s manufacturing sector to secure their fortunes. More...
Pressure for flexible working definitions increases
Recent calls by the Federation of Small Businesses to clarify flexible working conditions for parents has increased the pressure on the new coalition government to provide national definitions of flexible working. As a potential first step in clarifying the role of contractors and freelancers in the economy, the FSB’s new report, ‘Flexible Work: small business solutions’, specifically calls for the coalition government to “set out a national definition of flexible working to provide clarity to small businesses and employers”. More...
Demand for some workers is slowing, but not for contractors
One of the monthly reports on the status of the UK’s labour market sector, the REC KPMG Report on Jobs, confirms that the overall growth in UK jobs is slowing. However, this is clearly not the case for some contracting sectors as KPMG’s Partner and Head of Business Services Bernard Brown explains: “The UK job market continued to slow down in July with overall demand for staff rising at the slowest pace in eight months. Surprisingly, engineering and construction is the sector where staff were most in demand, an indication of a sustained recovery in the manufacturing sector.” More...
REC tackles new Minister with AWR concerns
On behalf of contractors and the recruitment sector, top executives of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation met with new Employment Relations Minister Edward Davey to discuss concerns over the Agency Workers Regulations. The definition and tests of legitimate self-employment and the need for guidance were key topics. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the debate over the current regulations will be reopened. More...
HMRC turns to debt collection agencies
Contractors unwilling or unable to pay their outstanding tax would be well advised to attempt to reach an agreement with HMRC as soon as possible, as the taxman is now outsourcing collection of lower value debts to debt collection agencies (DCAs). “DCAs give HMRC vital additional capacity, strengthening our ability to pursue the debts of those who decline to pay,” says Nick Lodge, the HMRC director in charge of debt management. More...