Contractors make ‘massive contribution’ to UK economy says Prime Minister
“As we go for economic growth this Government is getting right behind [contractors],” vows Prime Minister David Cameron as he praised the contribution contractors and freelancers make to the UK economy, in a letter to PCG on National Freelancers Day. According to PCG MD John Brazier, the Prime Minister’s words are an inspiring endorsement of the contracting sector. “[David Cameron] has underlined the importance of this sector,” says Brazier. “Freelancers bring talent, skills and flexibility to the market place.” More…
Contracting to become norm, says futurologist at National Freelancers Day lecture
The ‘age of the job’ is ending, contractors will enter the mainstream and the traditional office will become a thing of the past as enabling technologies fundamentally change work patterns. Those are the forecasts of futurologist Dr James Bellini, who presented them at the first-ever Freelance Lecture at Stationers’ Hall in London. ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin, was in the invited audience marking National Freelancers Day, says: “Bellini uses a vocabulary to describe new ways of working. He says we’re entering the age of ‘Egonomics’, where no one has a real job, and ‘Giganomics’, where contractors create virtual teams for a sequence of ‘gigs’, and disband once the project is done.” More…
Without contractors, three in five client businesses would find it difficult to operate
The business case for contracting is further strengthened after three in five business leaders agreed that it would be difficult for their businesses to operate without contractors. In addition, three quarters predict contract opportunities will stay the same or increase over the next twelve months. These results from the PCG ‘Yin Yang’ survey published on National Freelancers Day highlight just how embedded flexible workers have become in the ongoing operations of UK firms.
New immigration controls may backfire, harming contractor prospects
UK contractors may end up losing contract opportunities as international firms cancel projects because they can’t recruit the expert workers needed, following a new cap on the number of non-EU workers allowed to work in the UK. According to Oil & Gas UK’s special projects manager Jessica Burton: “…further cuts to the number of highly skilled migrants entering the UK would be very damaging.” The new rules introduced by the UK Borders Agency will take effect in April 2011 and will cut the number of non-EU workers allowed to enter the UK by a fifth. Intercompany transfer (ICTS) of staff earning above a £40,000 threshold will not be affected.
Increased investment and skills shortages benefit oil and gas contractors
Skills shortages forecast to peak in 2012 and increased confidence and investment by exploration firms will provide contractors dependant on the oil & gas sector with new contract opportunities, and potentially higher rates of pay driven by skills scarcities. According to the November 2010 Oil & Gas Survey published by the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, increased investment will bring recruitment challenges, made worse by new immigration caps. The report also says the loss of offshore expertise to the renewables sector is currently small, but could become an issue in the future. More…
Radical growth plans will depend on contractors for success
Contractors could play a major role in taking the UK from austerity to prosperity, if ambitious plans to sustain robust growth proposed by consulting firm McKinsey are to be realised. McKinsey’s report, From Austerity to Prosperity: Seven Priorities for the Long Term, recommends seven actions ‘to move from near-term austerity to long-term prosperity’. They focus on key areas where contractors’ strengths add value, including productivity, infrastructure, innovation and education and health. More…
Contractors can use newly published public sector spend as sales intelligence
Spending data and business plans newly released by government will allow canny contractors to track major public sector projects and target new contract opportunities. To fulfil its commitment to “make the UK the most transparent and accountable government in the world”, a new web domain has been created – data.gov.uk – that includes details of spending over £25,000 for the last six months. Public expenditure data will be published on a monthly basis from now on. More…
Scrapping government websites could bring new contracts to IT contractors
IT contractors could have the opportunity to bid for a massive consolidation of the government’s online presence, if plans to rationalise 750 websites into a single domain and provide public services online proceed. In response to a report by UK Digital Champion Martha Lane-Fox, the Government is arguing for a ‘Channel Shift that will increasingly see public services provided digitally by default’. More…