Contractors can expect improving market conditions during 2013 and 2014
Contractors across all core disciplines can expect improving market conditions during 2013 and 2014. This is according to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) economic forecasts, which predict modest organic growth of 1% in 2013, rising to 1.4% in 2014. As the economic picture improves, UK-based businesses are more likely to take investment decisions that will release cash, resulting in contracts. “We are beginning to see the return of organic growth, with clear signs that firms offering the right products into the right markets are growing sales and expanding,” said CBI director-general John Cridland. More...
Financial IT contractor prospects boosted following renewed hiring in the City
Prospects for financial IT contractors have taken a positive turn as hiring in London’s financial sector improved over the new year period. Morgan McKinley’s London Employment Monitor registered a 76% increase in newly available financial jobs between mid-December and mid-January. The UK’s financial sector is the second largest consumer of IT contractor services, so any rebound in the industry’s fortunes typically results in more IT contracts. More...
Contractors must be vigilant after client loses Agency Workers Regulations case
Contractors should be aware of union activity and planned action over the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) in their client’s workplace following the loss of a case by a public sector client. Barnet Council failed to meet the requirements of key employment legislation incorporating AWR clauses, which resulted in compensation packages for 150 temporary workers. The action was driven by union Unison. Contractors, who may be classed as both temporary workers and in scope of AWR, could be dragged unwillingly into such actions. Of greater concern is the likely impact on clients’ hiring intentions, choosing not to hire contractors as a result. More...
IT contractors remain unpaid following the collapse of 2e2
IT contractors on assignment with IT business 2e2 remain unpaid following its collapse, and have little prospect of ever recovering their fees. Contractor Arnold Foster told Computing’s Sooraj Shah that he had not been paid for work completed in January and had heard nothing from the administrator, FTI Consulting, about his chances of being paid. A report by Steve Hawkes in the Sun said: “Administrators FTI last night admitted many contractors had still not been paid for expenses incurred during January.” More...
Marketing contractor outlook for 2013 cautiously optimistic: Michael Page
The 2013 outlook for marketing contractors is looking cautiously optimistic, with 80% of clients maintaining or increasing headcount, highlights the latest UK marketing sector data from recruiter Michael Page. IT and telecoms and the media are the hot areas for marketing recruitment, with fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail looking less positive. Paradoxically, the public sector is shaping up to be a growth market for marketing interims. Although 37% of public sector clients are planning to reduce permanent headcount, 44% say they are planning to hire contractors.
IT contractor demand in the NHS trebles as restructuring deadline looms
IT contractor demand within the NHS has trebled over the last three months in advance of the phasing out of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and the introduction in April 2013 of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Commissioning Support Units (CSUs). According to Don Tomlinson of recruiter max20, the impact has been a massive brain drain of IT skills out of the NHS. This in turn has created huge IT contracting opportunities. “We have supplied 50 contractors alone during January,” explains Tomlinson. “Last year, we supplied 50 contractors during the entire first quarter, so we have seen demand treble.” More...
Hot IT skills for 2013 include mobile banking, says analyst Ovum
Mobile banking services, and the IT skills required to create them, will be the focus of investment in skills by banks during 2013. Out-Law.com identifies research by technology analyst Ovum, which says that “European banks would spend approximately 4% more on mobile banking” compared to 2012. The data also shows that “retail banks are expected to spend an average 3.4% more on IT” during 2013, painting an increasingly positive picture for financial IT contractors with the right skills. More...
Agency-payroll contractors increasingly forced to use travel and subsistence schemes
Agency-payroll contractors are increasingly being forced into travel and subsistence schemes by recruiters and staffing agencies seeking to reduce costs. A survey by Recruiter reveals that nearly half (49%) of staffing agencies use such schemes, although a quarter feel they are “forced” into them because the schemes allow their business to stay competitive. The impact on contractors may be lower rates of pay and potential non-compliance with HMRC expenses rules. More...
Contractors invited to contribute to government information economy strategy
Contractors have until 15 March 2013 to make their views heard during the creation of the UK’s first information economy strategy. As part of its broader industrial strategy launched in 2012, the government is seeking to create a roadmap for “the part of the economy where digital technologies and information combine to drive productivity and create new growth opportunities across the whole economy”. It specifically wants to hear from small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), whether technology based or otherwise. More...
Specialist contractors could be hired by HMRC to help it target tax avoiders
Contractors with tax expertise could find themselves on HMRC’s supplier shortlist to help the taxman target tax avoidance. In an interview with AccountancyAge’s Kevin Reed, former HMRC director of anti-avoidance Chris Tailby praised the expertise of external consultants he used. “They were worth every penny in that they had the commercial knowledge and experience to identify transactions which were purely for tax, and those which were done for commercial reasons,” Tailby told Reed. More...