Engineering, construction and IT contractors were all in the top five of the demand league table during June 2014, in first, third and fifth places respectively. Accounting and financial contractors were in sixth place and interims – ‘executive/professional’ – were in last/ninth place. All of the core contracting disciplines were in positive demand territory.
The latest Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)/KPMG Report on Jobs also shows that contractor availability has shrunk again in the face of strong demand. Contractor availability fell at the sharpest rate since March 1998.
“Contractors are the powerhouse that is fuelling the UK’s economic recovery,” notes ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. “When the country needs to build infrastructure and become more efficient, it is contractors who make those projects happen.”
And demand seems to be widespread, according to the report: “In both the public and private sectors, demand for temporary workers rose at rates that outstripped those seen for permanent staff.”
REC director of policy Tom Hadley says: “This month sees the number of workers available to fill vacancies plummet to an all-time low, in particular across business development and sales roles that are vital to boosting bottom lines. There are also persistent shortages across IT and engineering, which are becoming a serious threat to economic growth.”
Recruiters have highlighted that they are experiencing specific problems with hiring developers, ecommerce specialists, and contractors with JAVA and SQL skills. Engineers across all skill areas are also in demand.
“The flexibility and can-do attitude that contractors bring to their assignments are underpinning the recovery,” concludes Chaplin.