Strictly Come Contracting? Contractors receive support from Rachel Riley
Contractors are receiving support from an unlikely quarter on the run up to this year’s National Freelancers Day (NFD) in the form of Strictly Come Dancing star Rachel Riley. In a series of videos published on the NFD website, Riley explores how the world of work is changing and how businesses are starting to understand the benefits of contracting. The videos are just one part of NFD celebrations, which take place on Thursday 21st November 2013. More...
Contractor demand growth remains at near record levels during September
Contractor demand growth remained at near record levels during September 2013, says the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/KPMG Report on Jobs. The report also shows that the demand for contractors by public sector clients grew at the fastest rate in the report’s history. This, together with falling public sector permanent hiring, supports anecdotal evidence that contractors are being used to maintain service levels without contributing to headcount. More...
IT and financial contractors to benefit from surge in UK financial sector
Financial and IT contractors look set to benefit from a surge in confidence and hiring across the UK’s financial sector. The latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Financial Services Survey shows that over 10,000 workers joined the industry during the third quarter of 2013, and a further 2,000 are forecast to join between October and December. And although many financial institutions are cutting costs, the report confirms that “firms expect to spend more on IT, with around two fifths of firms saying they would increase spending to combat cybercrime”. More...
Contractors gain early access the Help to Buy Scheme, and 95% mortgages
Contractors can now gain access to the Help to Buy Scheme for properties of all ages, and not just new builds. The wider scheme has been brought forward from the original January 2014 start date, and was announced by the Chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative Party Conference. The scheme’s expansion coincides with the release of a contractor-only 95% mortgage deal offered by lender Halifax, which is based on a multiple of contractor rates.
Irish labour market skills shortages forecast in the core contracting disciplines
A quarter of Irish employers and clients are already warning of skills shortages in the core contracting disciplines of IT and engineering. A survey by Irish business organisation Ibec, reported by Silicon Republic, says that 25% of Irish firms are planning to hire more staff during 2014, but the same amount are fearful of skills shortages “particularly in the IT, software, engineering and technical areas”. Contractors in these disciplines may wish to consider seeking contracts with Ireland-based clients. More...
Contractors and clients are benefitting from growth in online outsourcing site
Contractors are generating an increasing amount of work from online outsourcing website Freelancer.co.uk, and an increasing number of clients are recognising the benefits of hiring contractors and freelancers. These are the conclusions from the latest stats from the website, which confirms over 5m projects posted on the site and 9m users. The UK accounts for 8.6% of the projects posted, or approximately 430,000 projects since the site was first launched in February 2004. More...
Contractor prospects enhanced by strong economic growth: BCC survey
Contractor prospects are further enhanced by strong economic growth, which is predicted to continue. This is according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Q3 2013 Economic Survey, which confirms that for “both manufacturing and services, most key balances are stronger in Q3 than in Q2, with critical balances now stronger than long-term historical averages”. Both the services and manufacturing sectors show strong hiring intentions, suggesting an increase in new contracts to come. More...
Latest digital ad spend figures demonstrate the importance of mobile skills
The importance of IT, media and marketing contractors gaining mobile skills was underlined by the latest set of digital ad spend figures published by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). The figures show that mobile ads accounted for 14% of total digital ad spend during the first six months of 2013, and 20% of digital display over the same period. Overall, digital ad spend increased by 17.5% in the first half of the year, reaching £3.04bn. More...
Contractors work in a ‘strong enabling environment’, according to WEF
Contractors work in a ‘strong enabling environment’, with strong infrastructure and legal frameworks for doing business. This is according to the first World Economic Forum Human Capital Report, which measures countries according to 51 indicators under the categories of health and wellness, education, the workforce and employment, and the enabling environment. The UK came 8th overall in the index, but performed less well in the health and wellness category. More...
Healthcare contractors, locums and interims are the target of new HMRC tax campaign
Contractors and freelancers working in healthcare professions such as psychology, physiotherapy and speech therapy are the target of a new tax campaign by HMRC. According to the taxman, its “Health and Wellbeing Tax Plan offers health professionals a time-limited opportunity to bring their tax affairs up to date on the best terms available”. Healthcare professionals who have underpaid tax and who fail to disclose their earnings and pay the tax owned by 6 April 2014 face penalties and even criminal prosecution. More...