Contractor demand in Scotland ended 2014 with solid demand that was centred on Edinburgh
Contracting market activity centred on Edinburgh during December 2014, as the city had the highest level of contractor agency billings for the second consecutive month, alongside experiencing the most marked drop in candidate numbers. The latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs for December 2014 also shows the core contracting disciplines all achieved solid performance during the month. “The focus of activity on Edinburgh is consistent with the financial sector’s renaissance, particularly when we see continued strong demand growth in the IT and finance sectors,” highlights ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. More...
Financial, IT and marketing contractors to benefit from financial sector growth
Financial, IT and marketing contractors all look set to benefit from the steadily improving fortunes of the UK’s financial sector. The 101st Confederation of British Industry (CBI)/PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Financial Services Survey shows rising business volumes across all sectors except for building societies. “It’s encouraging to see the majority of companies planning to increase their investment spend, especially on IT and marketing,” highlights CBI director of economics Rain Newton-Smith. More...
Contractors should be top election priority, says IPSE
Contractors should be “at the top of the political agenda” says the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) ahead of May’s General Election. This is in response to the latest Labour Market Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that shows self-employed contractor numbers in the quarter to November 2014 were up 123,000 year-on-year, although the total dropped 3,000 compared to the previous quarter. “Ahead of the General Election in May, the UK’s smallest businesses should be at the top of the political agenda and we hope all of the major parties will commit to giving them the support they need,” says IPSE CEO Chris Bryce. More...
Non-compliant contractor umbrellas should be “exposed and punished”
Non-compliant contractor umbrella companies should be “exposed and punished”, says Parasol founder and chief executive Rob Crossland. These comments follow a Channel 4 Dispatches programme, Low Pay Britain, which features an investigation into umbrella companies that did not paint the industry in a positive light. “Any umbrella company that flouts minimum wage legislation cannot call itself compliant,” continues Crossland. “However, I am concerned that this investigation could tarnish the reputation of our industry in the eyes of the business community and general public.” CEO Julia Kermode agrees, adding: “Whilst we welcome Channel 4’s exposure to bad practice, we also wish to redress the balance because umbrella employment is a positive choice for many.” More...
Contractors are the answer to the UK’s skills gap, a major challenge facing UK CEOs
Contractors and the UK’s flexible knowledge workforce are the solution to the skills gap that this year’s PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Global CEO Survey identifies as being “the biggest headache” for UK business leaders. This year, 84% of CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills, an only 26% believe that the government is tackling the issue. Contractors provide short-term access to key strategic skills that can ease talent shortages while organisations locate a permanent talent solution. More...
Contractors need a late payment conciliation service to counter rising court costs
Contractors should have access to a small business conciliation service so they can avoid lengthy court disputes when chasing payment from clients. IPSE has called for this new service following the government’s move to increase court fees. “Government plans to increase court fees will hit the UK’s smallest businesses disproportionately,” highlights Andrew Chamberlain, Senior Public Affairs Manager at IPSE. “Government should be making it easier, not harder for businesses to address the scandal of late payment. Now it seems likely that court fees are increasing, a small business conciliation service is more important than ever and we hope all the major parties will commit to this before the General Election.” More...
Contracting clients turning to contractors to meet “acute skills shortages”
Contracting clients are turning to contractors as a solution for their acute skills shortages. This is according to the latest Venn Index for the final quarter of 2014 published by recruiter The Venn Group, which also shows that demand for IT and construction contractors increased sharply during the period. However, the report warns that these acute skills shortages could undermine growth: “With several sectors hiring contractors to plug permanent skills shortages, 2015 could be a period where these shortfalls could scupper growth for areas which are already showing the early signs of a people crisis.” More...
Contractor recruiters vetting contractors via social media could breach data laws
Contractor clients and recruiters who use social media vetting of contractors as part of their hiring processes may be breaching data protection laws. Law firm Moore Blatch warns recruiters that: “They risk breaching anti-discrimination, privacy and data protection laws by using social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to vet prospective candidates.” According to Moore Blatch partner Paul Whitaker: “Making judgements about recruitment based on perceptions derived from social networking sites may give rise to claims of discrimination or invasion of privacy.” More...
Contracting partnerships to benefit from new guidance following OTS report
Contractors trading via partnerships may benefit from a range of new measures including new and expanded guidance following a report by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS). The Review of partnerships: final report identifies that the level of guidance currently available falls well short of what is needed, especially compared to what is provided for sole traders and limited company directors. The report also recommends that partners should be allowed to offset expenses against the tax on their share of the profits, More...
Contractors warned against emails scams and phishing in new HMRC guide
Contractors have been warned against responding to scam and phishing emails and websites in a new guide published by HMRC. The guide shows contractors what genuine HMRC emails and webpages look like, and identifies the most common scam email addresses. Many of the scams revolve around submitting tax returns where taxpayers are tricked into uploading personal data to fake self-assessment tax return pages for the purposes of identity theft. HMRC confirms that it: “Will never send notifications of a tax rebate / refund by email, or ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email.” More...