Contractor demand increases sharply across all main contracting disciplines
Contractor demand increased across all main contracting disciplines during June 2013, with engineering taking the top spot in the demand league table, highlights the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/KPMG Report on Jobs. Construction reversed its negative growth position and eighth place in May to growing 17% and reaching third place by the end of June. “Roles in engineering and IT are in ever increasing demand as recruiters struggle to source the talent that businesses need to succeed,” notes REC chief executive Kevin Green. More...
Contractor clients turning on the investment taps will kick-start projects and contracts
Contractor clients are “shifting towards expansionary strategies” which will release new and stalled projects, resulting in a fresh stream of contracts. The latest Deloitte Chief Financial Officer (CFO) survey highlights that “expectations for hiring and investment” are improving. “Business optimism has been improving for some time but our latest survey shows that CFOs are translating this confidence into action,” notes Deloitte chief economist Ian Stewart.
IT, media and telecoms contractors are needed to fill London’s TMT skills gap
Technology, media and telecoms (TMT) contractors are needed to meet talent and skills shortages and so ensure that London remains one of the leading global digital hubs. A new report by Deloitte, tech firms EMC2 and Intel, and business membership organisation London First calls for joined-up action by government, academia and business to meet the funding, skills and infrastructure shortfalls facing London. “While London is well-placed to exploit its status, resources and diversity, there is no guarantee it will achieve its ambitions and there are specific challenges around skills and finance,” warns EMC2’s vice president and managing director for the UK and Ireland James Petter. More...
Marketing and media contractors to benefit from strong second quarter budget growth
Market and media contractors look set to benefit from the strongest upwards revision in marketing budgets for six years. This is according to the latest Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Bellwether Report 2013 Q2, which also shows that digital marketing is the “key engine of growth in Q2”. The report’s authors believe that the upturn in marketing spend “provides further evidence of a strengthening UK economy”. Markit chief economist and Bellwether report author says: “The second quarter is looking like one of the best we've seen since the onset of the financial crisis”. More...
Public sector contractors urged to participate in PCG off-payroll rules survey
Contractors working for public sector clients are being urged by PCG to complete its latest survey on ‘how have the public sector rules affected you?’. “The aim [of the survey] is to gather a clearer picture of how the departments have interpreted the [off-payroll] rules, how many contractors have been affected and how egregious the measures have been,” says PCG. The freelancer organisation is planning to use the results in its policy development and as evidence when engaging with government.
Interim management contractors fill key roles at the DWP, costing £16.99m a year
Interim management contractors are filling key roles in central government departments where the civil service lacks in-house skills, reports the Recruiter. Recent figures supplied by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of its response to a parliamentary question showed that £16.99m was spent on interims in the 12 months to May 2013. “These workers are engaged where we do not have available skilled resource in-house, mainly in specialist roles such as project management and IT,” said employment minister Mark Hoban. More...
Over half of umbrella contractors enjoy contracting for the extra money
Over half (52%) of umbrella contractors “say that the thing they most enjoy about contracting is making more money than they would as a permanent employee”, with just over one fifth (21%) saying their favouring aspects of contracting was the variety of work available. The survey conducted by Pulse Umbrella Group also shows that umbrella company contractors are positive about their prospects, with 72% feeling confident about demand for their skills in the next six months. More...
Umbrella contractors chose to go contracting for the increased earnings
A second umbrella contractor survey, this time from umbrella company Paraplus, confirms the findings that umbrella company contractors choose the contracting lifestyle because it pays more. This survey shows that “35% thought that by working as a freelancer they would get more work, and 24% thought they would get more money”. “What is clear is that people are making a career choice to go freelance. Self-employed individuals have flourished throughout the recession in the UK,” explains Paraplus managing director Phil McDonald. More...
Contractors taking firm stances over VAT penalties are winning their appeals
Contractors who believe that HMRC has unfairly penalised them over VAT should take a firm stance, as it may result in their penalty being cancelled. A report by Economia on research by law firm Pinsent Mason’s highlights that HMRC “cancelled 18,317 of the 30,345 appeals from businesses over VAT penalties during the 2011/12 tax year”. Pinsent Masons head of tax Jason Collins believes the pressure on HMRC to increase revenues has resulting in its over-aggressive approach: “HMRC is…too quick to say a taxpayer has been negligent when it gets things wrong. Unfortunately, it seems that thousands of UK businesses have been forced to challenge unfair fines as a result.” More...
Contractors offered tax return ‘amnesty’ as part of a new HMRC’s campaign
Contractors who have failed to submit a tax return for the 2011-12 year have the opportunity to bring their tax affairs up-to-date and “receive the best possible terms from HMRC”. HMRC will also be contacting several thousand taxpayers it has identified using its intelligence-gathering software who are due to make returns for past years. Contractors have until 15th October 2013 to submit a tax return and pay what they owe. Those taxpayers which HMRC catches once the deadline has past face 100% penalties on any outstanding tax from past years.