Contractor clients’ hiring intentions improve dramatically over 12 months
Contractor clients’ short- and medium-term intention to hire contractors has doubled over the last 12 months, and nearly trebled over the last two years. The latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) JobsOutlook also confirms that four fifths of clients now believe that flexible workers are “increasingly helping organisations to meet their corporate objectives and strategy”. The report also warns of skills shortages, which is good for contractors’ short-term prospects, but bad for UK plc and the country’s ability to attract inward investment. More...
Media contractors face being strong-armed onto payroll by new BBC rules
Media contractors working for the BBC face being forced onto the payroll or losing their contracts, as the corporation has pledged to stop paying staff through personal service companies. The Mail Online’s James Chapman and Sam Greenhill report that up to 6,000 contractors and freelancers may be affected, and the BBC is planning action “within weeks” to stop the practice. A BBC spokesperson told the Mail: “The BBC has developed a new employment test that uses several criteria to determine whether an individual can be hired as self-employed or considered as an employee. We will soon be in a position to begin applying this test.” More...
Contractors should be able to name late payers without being blacklisted, says PCG
Contractors should be offered ‘witness protection’ by the government when naming late payers, so they do not get blacklisted by client organisations. This is according to PCG, which is calling on the government to set up a hotline to report late-paying big businesses. “Any move that helps to tackle the issue of late payment is welcome,” notes PCG director of policy and public affairs Simon McVicker. More...
Contractor prospects in retail look positive, despite flat October sales growth
Contractors working on retail and distributive trade contracts had a disappointing month in October 2013, with flat retail sales growth reported by the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Distributive Trades Survey. However, the positive news for contractors is that the survey suggests sales will pick up during November and beyond. In addition, sales in the motor trade bucked the trend by remaining bullish. More...
IT contractors have massive market opportunity to exploit in cyber security
IT contractors seeking the ‘next big thing’ in IT contracting may wish to consider IT security. According to Computing’s Sooraj Shah, the latest Annual Global Security Survey from EY (formerly Ernst & Young) shows that “only 4% of UK organisations have IT security functions that fully meet their needs”. EY information security director Mark Brown told Computing: “A lack of skilled talent is a global issue. It is particularly acute in the UK”. More...
UK public sector clients increase their reliance on contractors
The UK public sector is increasing its reliance on contractors, with contract and temp worker use growing by 4.6% over the last 12 months. The latest Comensura Government Index highlights that there is “strong evidence that local authorities are increasingly turning to temporary labour to provide greater workforce flexibility in delivering public services”. “[Local authorities] have recognised the value and importance of a flexible workforce, which in turn has allowed them to continue delivering services to the public during a time of financial strain,” says Comensura managing director Jamie Horton. More...
Contractors facing unexpected tax bills over incorrect coding by HMRC
Contractors operating a payroll may be facing unexpected tax bills as a result of HMRC omitting to account for tax due on benefits. Economia’s Raymond Doherty writes that a survey by accountant UHY Hacker Young has found that as many as 37% of all taxpayers may be affected, and that although the mistakes were basic, they could result in contractors underpaying tax by thousands of pounds. Contractors should confirm with their umbrella company, accountant or agency/client if on the payroll, that their coding is correct. More...
‘Green collar’ energy contractors receive offshore renewables research funding boost
Energy contractors working in offshore renewables received a research funding boost from government this week. Subsea World reports that a further £7m of grant funding will be made available for research into wave, tidal and offshore wind technologies. Contractors with skills and experience in electrical and structural engineering, sensors and monitoring are most likely to benefit, as these disciplines represent the focus of the research funding. More...
Contractors to benefit from nearly 500,000 new IT contracts and jobs by 2020
IT contractors will be able to choose from nearly 500,000 new contracts and jobs that Seattle University’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering is predicting will be created by 2020. Well over half of these, 270,900, are forecast to be in the software development field, with computer systems analysis in second place, with 120,400 new jobs to be created. The research, published by Silicon Republic, also highlights that over a third of IT workers change jobs every 12 months. More...
Contractors face automatic £100 fines if late in submitting paper tax returns
Contractors who submit paper self-assessment tax returns but have yet to do so face an automatic £100 fine from HMRC, now that the 31 October 2013 deadline has passed. The penalties increase after 3 months and could reach £900 if contractors take no action. However, contractors still have time to file their tax returns online, as the deadline for the 2012-2013 tax year is not until the end of 31 January 2014. More...