Online demand for workers leaps by 7% in May
Contractors across the board will benefit from increased online demand as May’s Monster Employment Index increased by 7%. This is a welcome sign that the contract market is improving following the previous month’s slight fall. Year on year, the online demand for workers is up by 19%. According to Monster UK & Ireland’s managing director, Julian Acquari: “Business investment improved in the first quarter of this year, and we can see increased levels of online job availability compared to this time last year.” More…
Improving prospects for financial sector IT contractors
According to the Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor, the largest consumer of IT contractors in the UK, the City of London’s financial sector, showed a slight increase in demand for workers in May – just 3% – but a whopping increase of 82% year on year. Andrew Evans, managing director of Morgan McKinley’s financial services division, is upbeat: “Overall, the market is improving with some ups and downs along the way, which is always going to be the case as recovery continues. May 2010 City hiring activity shows a gradual upward trajectory, despite the distractions of a change in Government and the continuing Eurozone issues in that month.” More…
Possibility of more public sector work for contractors
In a move that could eventually open up more public sector work to contractors, Prime Minister David Cameron has written to ministers setting out a timetable to bring transparency to public sector spending. Such openness is likely to create opportunities for contractors, who typically provide much greater value than incumbent suppliers or in-house services. In a timetable spanning six months, details of all central and government spending on contracts above £500 will be published online, starting with central government ICT contracts from July 2010. More…
Business says increasing VAT is ‘least worst option’
The latest quarterly National Business Confidence Survey from KPMG reveals that 61% of chief executives say if tax has to rise, let it be VAT. Although for most UK businesses VAT does not impact on profitability, there are sectors that use large numbers of contractors, such as some financial services, retail, the public and third sectors, which will be adversely affected because their consumer customers will experience price rises. “VAT is seen as the lesser of the tax evils because it is an indirect tax paid by consumers,” explains KPMG’s Malcolm Edge. “However, for those operating in more business to consumer markets... it can be far more significant.” More…
National Skills Academy for IT could benefit IT contractors
The new National Skills Academy for IT, which formally opens this autumn, is backed by some of the UK’s largest end-user clients of IT contractors and could provide IT contractors with options for continued professional development. The e-skills UK sector skills council for information and communication technology has appointed IT professional Tony Read as the Academy’s CEO. More…
Broad-based manufacturing recovery gathers pace
Encouraging news for engineering, IT and interim management contractors in the manufacturing sector as the second quarter EEF/BDO Manufacturing Outlook report reveals that output and order balances are at their highest levels since the survey began in 1995. Demand for workers is increasing, as EEF Chief Economist Lee Hopley explains: “The steadily improving trends in manufacturing look set to continue in the coming months and the upswing is being felt right across industry. Manufacturers are pulling in more export orders on the back of a recovering world economy and a better outlook for the domestic market is giving companies some confidence to recruit again.” More…
Sustained demand for engineers
Engineers continue to be in demand by end-user clients, despite forecast cuts in public spending, according to the Recruiter. In a special report, David Leyshon of technical recruiter CBSbutler says that international demand is strong: “Most process engineers and mechanical, civil engineers and project managers continue to be in demand overseas.” And TfL (Transport for London) recruitment delivery manager Alan MacKinnon says: “The temporary labour market offers better daily rates but not necessarily the best career opportunities for engineers in the longer term.” More…