IT contractors with enterprise software skills to gain most from increased IT spend
IT contractors with skills and capabilities in the enterprise software area look set to benefit the most from predicted rises in global IT spend during 2014. According to analyst Gartner, worldwide IT spending will grow by 3.1% over the next 12 months to reach £2.3tr. “Investment is coming from exploiting analytics to make B2C [business-to-consumer] processes more efficient and improve customer marketing efforts,” explains Gartner managing vice president Richard Gordon. “Investment will also be aligned to B2B [business-to-business] analytics, particularly in the supply chain management space, where annual spending is expected to grow 10.6 percent in 2014.” More...
Contractor agency billings grew at the sharpest rate seen since July 1998, led by IT
Contracting continued to grow in the final month of 2013, with contractor agency billings rising at the “sharpest in over 15 years”, according to December 2013’s Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/KPMG Report on Jobs. However the positive prospects for all core contracting disciplines mask an increasing skills shortage, which threatens to derail the economy. “The real concern now is the mismatch between demand and supply, with recruiters reporting that they can’t source suitable candidates for vacancies in a whole range of sectors,” highlights REC’s head of policy Kate Shoesmith. More...
Contractors to benefit from increased investment and hiring by UK corporates
Contractors can expect an increase in new contracts and renewals as the UK’s largest corporates invest in expansion and hiring. This is according to the latest Deloitte Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Survey, which also shows “perceptions of economic uncertainty at a three-and-a-half year low and risk appetite…at a six-year high”. Ian Stewart, Deloitte chief economist, notes: “CFOs enter 2014 in buoyant mood with a focus on expansion, investment and hiring”. More...
Contractors underpin UK services exports as performance reaches pre-recession levels
Contractors and freelancers with overseas clients and working on contracts overseas helped the UK’s export services balances to reach record highs during the final quarter of 2013. The British Chamber of Commerce’s (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) also shows that all economic indicators in both the manufacturing and services sectors are stronger than pre-recession levels. “Firms across the board believe they can create jobs, invest, and export,” says BCC director general John Longworth. More...
Contractor livelihoods threatened by Miliband pledge to repeal Swedish Derogation
Contractors will lose out on contracts and may find clients looking outside the UK for workers if Labour leader Ed Miliband wins the 2015 election and fulfils his pledge to repeal the Swedish Derogation to the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR). In a letter published in the Independent on Sunday, Miliband promises to remove what he calls a ‘loophole’, but the derogation is what keeps many contractors in work. The Association of Recruitment Consultancies’ Adrian Marlowe suggests that Miliband leaves the regulations as they are: “Should Labour not accept the regulations as an achievement and leave the agencies to get on now and help the economy grow…?” More...
Contractor hiring increases across all sectors of the economy
Contractor hiring increased across all sectors of the economy during December 2013. Each of the Markit/Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Purchasing Managers’ Index for UK Manufacturing, Construction and Services showed both growth and an increase in the number of jobs and contracts. Up to 15,000 new jobs and contracts were created in manufacturing during 2013’s final quarter. Construction hiring has grown for seven continuous months, and hiring in the services sector has risen for 12 successive months. The strongest expansions in fourth quarter were in core contracting areas such as computing and IT, financial services and business-to-business services. More...
Contractors can expect ‘business as usual’ from Parasol and ClearSky following deal
Contractors have been told that a secondary buyout by the Optionis management team will have no impact on the services provided by umbrella company Parasol and contractor accountant ClearSky. “I would like to reassure our existing employees and clients that they will see no changes to our service, ethos or pricing structure as a result of this deal,” confirms managing director Derek Kelly. He also highlights that Parasol has now employed over 70,000 umbrella contractors and ClearSky Accounting has grown by 42.7% over the last 12 months to become the UK’s 87th largest accountant. More...
Sole trader and CIS contractors embraced by contracting trade body
Contractors who are self-employed sole trades and/or use the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) can now choose Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FSCA) accredited service providers. The trade body has expanded its code of conduct, which previously only covered accountancy and umbrella services, to include “providers delivering…self-employment services”.
Contractor finances are the focus of PCG’s Freelancer Moneybox event
Contractor’s finances are the focus of PCG’s Freelancer Moneybox event being staged at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London on Thursday 16 January 2014. The programme begins at 18:00 with seminars delivered by PCG’s John Brazier and Crunch’s Laura Hughes. A wide range of financial and professional services providers have stands at the accompanying exhibition, and there will also be networking opportunities. More...