Contractors face long wait for employment status certainty, says OTS report
Contractors will have a long wait before measures can be implemented to introduce clarity and certainty over employment status, says the Office of Tax Simplification’s (OTS) Employment Status Review. “It rapidly became clear that, as we had hypothesised, the tax system is still in many ways stuck in an out-of-date mindset: of categorising workers as either employees, firmly on the payroll, or self-employed, with the traditional jobbing plumber in mind,” explains OTS tax director John Whiting. “This made sense in the 1950s and 1960s but the huge growth in freelancing as a way of life and work doesn’t fit readily into this traditional model.” More...
Contractor client conference to discuss key contracting issues planned for end-March
Contracting clients are gathering for a key event – the 5th Annual Temporary & Contract Workforce Conference - to discuss a range of issues relating to the UK’s contingent workforce. The event will feature speakers from major client organisations in the private and public sectors, including Walt Disney and the Serious Fraud Office. Major regulatory issues affecting contractors, such as the false self-employment legislation, will also be discussed. More...
Contractors should not be used for political gain, warns IPSE
Contractors deserve the “support they need to flourish” and all political parties should stop “playing politics with small business”, warns the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE). “The UK’s smallest businesses are being used as a way for parties to try and win votes in the election, but they are forgetting that these policies affect people’s livelihoods across the country,” highlights IPSE’s deputy director of policy and external affairs, Andrew Chamberlain. More...
Contract vacancies rise by 7.7% year-on-year, as contracting becomes the ‘new normal’
Contract vacancies rose by 7.7% year-on-year during February 2015, according to data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo). Core contracting disciplines such as finance and accounting, IT, engineering and media and marketing increased by 25%, 8%, 4.3% and 9% respectively. “It is no surprise that contract vacancy numbers remain strong, despite a marked increase in permanent roles,” notes APSCo chief executive Ann Swain. “This data reiterates what APSCo has long predicted – that the professional flexible workforce is now ‘the new normal’.” More...
Contractor hiring grows sharply across all majors sectors of UK economy
Contractor hiring continued apace across all three main areas of the UK economy during February 2015, sustained by continued new business inflows for contracting clients. The Markit/Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Purchasing Managers’ Indexes (PMIs) for February 2015 demonstrate that economic growth continues in the first quarter of 2015:
- The UK Manufacturing PMI shows contractor hiring continued for the 22nd consecutive month, fuelled by new business for clients. Both large business and small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) reported strong hiring, suggesting contractors have a target rich environment for new contracts
- Construction activity reached a four-month high across all three main sectors of residential, commercial and civil engineering. The UK Construction PMI shows both strong hiring and a sharp increase in subcontractor costs, which may filter through to contractors in the form of higher rates
- According to the UK Services PMI, contractor hiring increased at the second fastest rate in the survey’s history during February in response to a sharp increase in new business. “Companies overwhelmingly commented that the latest increase in activity was the result of a rise in new business amid evidence of a pick-up in general market conditions,” said the report.
Contractors chasing unpaid fees can access new online creditors’ resource
Contractors chasing agencies and clients for unpaid invoices can access a new online resource for creditors produced by R3, the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. R3 says that the website “explains in simple terms how creditors can engage with the insolvency process to increase their chances of seeing money returned to them”. It also shows how contractors can “see action taken against fraudulent or negligent directors or bankrupts”. More...
UK contractors are choosing the UAE as the top global destination for expat contracts
Highly mobile UK contractors seeking expat contracts are choosing to find fresh contracts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ahead of the United States and Australia. Research by Procorre shows that the UAE “narrowly beats the USA due to its zero income tax policy and because it houses many global businesses HQs”. However, the research also says that: “More than half (52%) of all international workers would opt to work in an English speaking country as their top choice of location”. More...
Oil and gas contractors gain insights into technology focus areas for the sector
Oil and gas contractors seeking to develop their skills and target the latest high activity areas should focus on: “Technologies to improve recovery from small discoveries (small pools); innovations in well construction and advances in inspection methods to manage the integrity of ageing facilities.” These are the three areas targeted by the Oil and Gas Technology Leadership board as top priority for research and development during 2015, and could represent target rich market segments for contractors More...