Contractor prospects for 2013 buoyed by “marked increase in confidence”
Contractor prospects for the year ahead had another boost following the marked increase in business confidence shown by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 2012. The report highlights that “UK firms are confident and ambitious”, but warns of challenges ahead. BCC director general John Longworth called on the UK’s political leadership to take action to nurture growth: “Politicians can make a difference to our economic success, as they have the power to deliver bold and imaginative measures that will drive growth.” More...
Contractors will benefit from client cost-cutting and market share grabs
Contractors look set to benefit from the cost-cutting and market-share-grab strategies being employed by the UK’s largest businesses. Deloitte’s latest Chief Financial Officer (CFO) survey shows that finance directors of major contractor clients “are entering 2013 in a more optimistic mood than they entered 2012”. Deloitte warns that CFOs plan cost-cutting campaigns but, although counter-intuitive, this will favour contractors, because they are a lower risk option than employees. More...
Contractor demand displayed solid performance during December 2012
Contractor demand was sustained across all but one of the core contracting disciplines during December 2012, peaking at just below November’s 20-month high. This is according to the latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/KPMG Report on Jobs, which shows engineering contractor demand at third place in the demand league table and IT in fifth place. The only core contracting sector to see a fall in demand during December was executive/professional, which saw little or no growth throughout 2012. More...
Contracting in the EU: 37% of European workers want to be their own boss
Contracting and freelancing in the European Union (EU) could be much more widespread if the aspirations of EU workers become reality. The European Commission’s Flash Barometer Entrepreneurship in the EU and beyond shows that 37% of European workers would choose self-employment over employment. However, this has fallen during the economic downturn from 45% in 2009. The headline figure hides wide variations: only 22% of Swedes would prefer to be self-employed versus 50% of Greeks and 58% of Latvians. More...
IT and marketing contractors must unite to deliver ‘omnichannel marketing’
IT and marketing contractors are likely to be collaborating ever-more closely, to combine communications and messaging with digital technologies and satisfy 2013’s digital marketing trends. Experian Marketing Services’ Digital Trends 2013 report highlights that social, search, email, mobile and big data will drive digital marketing this year. “Omnichannel marketing is the next step, creating a seamless consumer experience across all channels by using real-time data to truly understand who a customer is,” believes Experian Marketing Services managing director Jon Buss. More...
IT contractor opportunities to bid direct for government contracts?
IT contractors may be able to bid directly for government contracts following a Cabinet Office review into ICT frameworks. A report by Out-Law.com quotes the Cabinet Office as saying that frameworks will only be allowed “if suppliers ‘of all sizes’ are given a ‘reasonable chance’ of winning work through the system”. Framework agreements allow public sector buyers to secure services from pre-approved suppliers without having to go through extensive tendering procedures. More...
Lap dancing ‘contractor’ loses unfair dismissal claim to Stringfellows
Lap dancer Nadine Quashie, described as an ‘independent contractor’ by her client, Stringfellows nightclub, has lost her unfair dismissal claim in the Court of Appeal. AccountingWeb’s John Stokdyk reports that the case hinged on the agreement between the club and dancers, which said that Stringfellows did not have to pay its dancers for their work. “This was at odds with the wage/work bargain which lies at the heart off the contract of employment,” argued Stringfellows’ barrister Thomas Linden QC. More...
Contractors offered settlement opportunity for participating in tax avoidance schemes
Contractors who have participated in tax avoidance schemes have been offered a settlement opportunity by HMRC. The taxman plans to offer participants in certain schemes the chance to “settle their tax liabilities by agreement”. However, HMRC warns: “Where people decline the settlement opportunity, we will increase the pace of our investigations and accelerate disputes into litigation.” Contractors eligible for the scheme will be contacted by the end of January. More...
Contractors late with their VAT returns face HMRC scrutiny
Contractors filing late VAT returns have been warned by HMRC that they have until 28 February to bring their VAT affairs up-to-date or their tax affairs may face greater scrutiny. HMRC estimates that up to 50,000 businesses have failed to submit VAT returns, out of a total 600,000 VAT registered entities. Head of HMRC Campaigns Marian Wilson warns: “HMRC will use its legal powers to pursue outstanding returns and any VAT that is unpaid. Penalties, or even criminal investigation, could follow.”