Contracting tsar hints at plans to benefit contractors at NFD Live Panel Debate
New contractor tsar hints David Morris MP hints at measures to help contractors in his first speech at IPSE’s National Freelancers Day 2014. “We can’t rip up the rule book and start again, however we can amend the rule book to make it easier for us to flourish,” Morris told a packed audience of contractors in London. “It appears that Morris is hitting the ground running in his new role,” notes ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. More...
Contractor skills shortages worsen, creating new contract opportunities
Contractor skills shortages are worsening, leading to increased new contract opportunities in the core contracting disciplines of engineering and technical, IT and computing and executive and professional. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) JobsOutlook for October 2014 also highlights that 43% of contractor clients plan to increase contractor headcounts and 49% plan to keep them stable. When asked why they hire contractors, 68% of clients say they use contractors “to provide short-term access to key strategic skills”. More...
IT and finance contractor prospects improved by financial sector recovery in Scotland
IT and finance contractors are benefitting from the bounceback of Scotland’s financial sector. October 2014’s Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs reports that candidate availability continues to fall and recruiters can’t find enough suitably skilled contractors to fill vacancies, presenting opportunities to contractors elsewhere in the UK. “The number of people appointed to jobs increased, as did starting salaries,” explains Bank of Scotland chief economist Donald MacRae. “A rise in vacancies confirmed business confidence remains high.” More...
IT contractor and employee numbers reach record levels during 2014
IT contractor and employee numbers reached a record high of 847,000 during the second quarter of 2014 according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In a Recruiter report, NoPalaver Group also shows that the number of software programmers and developers has grown 8% in the 12 months to June 2014 to 274,000. The increase has been driven by the UK’s ‘app economy’, with an increasing number of businesses recognising the need for social media and app strategies. More...
Contractor opportunities continue to grow at manufacturing clients
Contractors targeting the UK manufacturing sector for contracts continue to enjoy a growing number of opportunities as the sector’s output remains positive. The latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Industrial Trends Survey for shows that, despite a slowdown in export orders, the UK’s manufacturers are performing above the long-term average. The aerospace sector is performing particularly well, offering opportunities for suitably skilled contractors. More...
Contract numbers increase within the UK’s exporters, shows BCC/DHL survey
Contractors are being actively hired by the UK’s exporters, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and DHL Express Q3 Trade Confidence Index. In line with the CBI’s findings (above), the survey has found that export growth slowed during the quarter to end-September but that UK firms remain confident in future prospects. So much so, that 75% of those surveyed have tried to hire new workers in the last quarter. More...
Oil and gas contractors with unconventional skills receive exploration boost
Oil and gas contractors with skills in unconventional exploration and production received a boost following the news that chemicals firm Ineos planes to invest $1bn into shale gas development. BBC News reports that the firm currently imports shale gas to feed its petrochemicals business and is seeking “home grown shale gas as well”. Shale gas production will also fuel demand for engineering and construction contractors. More...
Contractors using tax avoidance schemes may have escaped HMRC investigation
Contractors using tax avoidance schemes may have escaped HMRC investigations into their tax affairs due to the taxman’s “unacceptably slow…action against tax avoiders.” This is the conclusion of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its review of HMRC’s progress “in improving tax compliance and preventing tax avoidance”. The PAC found that HMRC had failed to raise enquiries into taxpayers it knew had participated in avoidance schemes within the 12 month deadline of the taxpayers’ self assessment tax returns being submitted. More...
Warning shot for contractors as HMRC continues to win corporate avoidance cases
Contractors whose companies use corporate tax avoidance schemes have received a warning shot by HMRC following three new victories over corporate scheme promoters. The cases all concern large businesses, but signify HMRC’s focus on tackling corporate tax avoidance with as much energy as it pursues individuals. “The message coming out of these cases is clear – entering into a tax avoidance scheme can be complex, expensive and cause extensive reputational damage for the companies involved,” warns Financial Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke. “Anyone who’s already using a scheme, or considering joining one, should think long and hard about the consequences of trying to avoid paying the tax that is due.” More...
Compliance activities generate £8.8bn in six months, says HMRC report
Compliance activities, many targeting contractors, have generated an additional £8.8bn in tax revenues in the first six months of the 2014/15 tax year. HMRC’s ‘How we’re doing: our performance so far this year’ describes how HMRC has performed between April and September 2014. The report highlights that £7bn more in tax revenues have been generated this year when compared to the same period during 2013. Total tax take in six months to end June was £243.6bn. More...