Contractor demand in Scotland reaches five-month high
Greater client activity is fuelling increased contractor demand in Scotland, with IT and computing showing the strongest rise out of the eight sectors monitored. The Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs for September showed engineering and construction in second place in the demand league table, although the accounts and financial sector contracted sharply, the only sector to do so. Dundee was a hotbed of contractor activity, suggesting that the video games sector is hiring strongly.
Contractors deliver economic resilience: EFIP report on European I-Pros
New research shows that contractors underpin Europe’s most resilient economies. A report commissioned by PCG and the European Forum of Independent Professionals (EFIP) shows that those European Union countries showing the greatest economic resilience have large, fast growing and dynamic contractor, or ‘I-Pro’, communities. “Having access to freelancers in an economy provides flexibility, value and minimises risk to businesses,” explains EFIP president and PCG managing director John Brazier. “This is important when times are good; but when times are bad, these factors become the difference between success and failure.” More...
PCG announces Alastair Campbell as keynote speaker on National Freelancers Day
Contractors look set to benefit from legendary spin-doctor Alastair Campbell’s insights as keynote speaker at this year’s National Freelancers Day. “I think that in all sectors there is, and indeed should be, a role to play for people brought in either for their expertise or for special projects and that’s why I’m very happy to be supporting and sharing ideas with the sort of people National Freelancers Day represents,” says Campbell. This year’s Question Time style event will be held at the Royal Society of Arts in London on Wednesday 21 November 2012.
Contractors proving they are outside IR35 can avoid public sector off-payroll rules
Contractors able to prove that their contracts are outside IR35 can continue to contract for public sector clients without fear of an HMRC IR35 review resulting from the off-payroll rules introduced in September. HMRC and Treasury officials meeting with representatives of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) confirmed that the rules “are not a sampling exercise on behalf of HMRC” and are designed to combat disguised employment, not tax avoidance. More...
Oil and gas contractors benefit from increased North Sea activity
Oil and gas contractors are benefiting from increased activity in the North Sea as confidence returns to the UK’s oil and gas sector. The surge in activity reported in Deloitte’s latest North West Europe Review is a direct result of new tax breaks introduced earlier in the year to counter the impact of Chancellor George Osborne’s ‘windfall tax’ on North Sea production introduced in 2010. “A lot has been done to rebuild investment confidence after the North Sea tax imposed in 2010,” explains Deloitte energy partner Graham Hollis.
Part-time contractor numbers rise as UK employment reaches historic high
The number of self-employed workers in the UK reached a record-breaking 4.196m in the period from June to August 2012, up from 4.161m in the March to May period. However, this latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that it is part-time workers who are responsible for the increase, as the number of full-time self-employed workers actually fell by 18,000 during the same period. Overall, unemployment fell during the period and UK employment reached an historic high of 29.6m. More...
IT and engineering contractor guide to Europe’s tech hubs
IT and engineering contractors can access a new online guide to Europe’s tech hubs which highlight the hotspots of IT and engineering activity vying to rival the Silicon Valley in the US. The UK leads the pack with four locations: Cambridge, London, ‘Silicon Glen’ in central Scotland and the M4 corridor in Berkshire and Bristol. However, according to the guide’s author, GigaOM, Europe lacks the “go-for-it start-up ethos that characterises Silicon Valley”. More...
Construction contractors see commercial activity rise after a five-month decline
Construction and engineering contractors experienced an “unexpected post-summer bounce” in commercial building activity during September. The Savills Commercial Development Activity index for September rose for the first time in five months and the outlook in the sector improved significantly to only “marginally pessimistic.” Prospects for 2013 are good, if unexciting, as head of building consultancy at Savills Michael Pillow explains: “We expect 2013 to show a continued gentle recovery.”
HMRC warns of looming deadline for contractors planning to submit paper tax returns
Contractors planning to submit hardcopy personal self-assessment tax returns have less than two weeks to send their paperwork to HMRC. Late returns face an automatic £100 fine, even if there is no tax to pay. HMRC strongly urges contractors to consider online submission, as the deadline for web-based submissions is three months away, tax is calculated automatically and returns are processed faster. Contractors who still prefer a paper return should ensure they obtain proof of posting.