IR35 a priority of the new Office of Tax Simplification
A review of IR35 will be one of the priorities of the new Office of Tax Simplification, first details of which were announced this week by Chancellor George Osborne. Treasury officials, together with experts from the tax and legal professions, the business community and other interested parties, have been tasked with providing evidence that the legislation is complex with uncertain outcomes. They will then consider alternatives and look at issues relating to tax avoidance. More…
IT contractor demand increases by 11.2%
The latest survey by jobsadwatch.co.uk on behalf of IT recruitment website CWJobs.co.uk reveals that IT contractor recruitment increased by 11.2% in the second quarter of 2010. Amid the current confusion of economic data, this might be a suggesting that the recovery is well underway. Although demand is strong across all skill sets, most in demand are software developers, specifically in SQL, closely followed by Java. London and Southern England dominate the market, where 80.1% of all contracts were advertised. More…
London’s financial sector maintains recruitment momentum
According to the latest Morgan McKinley London Employment Monitor, despite a slight fall in job opportunities from May to June, demand for City workers was up 49% compared to the same time last year. The continued improvements in the financial sector will directly benefit one of the main UK consumers of their services, IT contractors. Morgan McKinley Financial Services MD Andrew Evans says: “As anticipated at the start of the year, hiring in 2010 was expected to rise significantly compared to 2009 levels and this has proven to be the case.” More…
European demand for workers at 16-month high
The Monster Employment Index Europe increased by 2% in June, with strong demand for workers in the production, manufacturing, maintenance and repair sectors suggesting an upswing in European industrial activity. However, although demand for engineers increased, demand for IT workers was flat. According to Monster Europe head Andrea Bertone, the figures point towards European economic recovery: “We have seen positive trends emerge in sectors such as manufacturing and transport and are optimistic about the level of opportunities that are emerging throughout the year.” More…
Labour market less healthy north of the border
Despite improving labour market conditions elsewhere in the UK and Europe, the latest Bank of Scotland Report on Jobs reveals that a surge in available workers has driven the Labour Market Barometer below 50.0 for the first time in seven months. The Barometer is an average of survey indices which measures patterns in Scotland’s labour market. Donald MacRae, chief Economist at Bank of Scotland, explains: “Scotland’s labour market conditions deteriorated slightly in June due to a strong rise in the number of people looking for employment, causing the headline index to slip below the no-change threshold for the first time in seven months.” More…