Recruiters still number one for contractors, says SJD

Recruitment agencies are still the most popular way for contractors to find work, according to the latest survey from SJD Accountancy.

Over a third of those questioned by the UK-based specialist contractor accountancy firm said they are still finding their contracts through a recruitment agency, a statistic that has remained consistent over the last two years, says SJD.

Of those questioned 71% said they had a positive experience using a recruitment agency, a 25% increase from 2012.

Claire Johnson, managing director of SJD Accountancy, says: “What is clear from this latest survey is that as the industry continues to recover from periods of uncertainty, recruiters have remained steadfast in helping place contract roles.”

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Contractors a Necessity, not Accessory, say IT hirers

IT leaders will regard contractors as a necessity - not an accessory - over the next 12 months, as the tech skills required for the most likely project investments are the ones in shortest supply. Phil Sheridan, managing director of Robert Half Technology, issued the verdict after the recruitment firm quizzed 100 CEOs in December 2013 about their plans for 2014.The survey, which was confined to the UK, found that the most popular IT initiatives were business intelligence and analytics, mobile solutions and app development.

Vacancies at 15-year high as recruitment rises, finds Report on Jobs

The number of vacancies across UK business increased at its fastest pace since July 1998 in November as appointments continued to grow, finds the REC/KPMG Report on Jobs.

This trend tallies with Office for National Statistics data produced in recent months, which put the number of job vacancies at 545,000 in the three months to October.

The monthly survey of 400 recruiters from the industry body and the professional services firm saw the number of people hired in permanent and temporary roles rise again last month, but not as dramatically as seen previously.

As placements continued to rise, the availability of staff for permanent and temporary jobs fell at its quickest rate for six and nine years respectively.

- See more at: http://www.recruiter.co.uk/news/2013/12/vacancies-at-15-year-high-as-recruitment-rises-finds-report-on-jobs/?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=#sthash.y6LsQBOy.dpuf

IT contracting confidence up, giant survey suggests
 

Confidence within the IT contracting community is up year on year, that’s according to recent research by professional umbrella employment provider, giant group.

 

Results of its latest contractor survey of IT specialists point to increased confidence in the temporary market. Compared to figures over the last two years, the length between assignments is reducing, with the majority (82%) citing less than 31 days. In comparison, those recording 90 days and above has halved since 2011.

 

Added to this, over half of respondents are expecting job opportunities in IT to grow over the coming year and a further 64% predicting their earnings will increase. The survey also suggests that the top sectors for IT contracting opportunities over the next 12 months will be Support Services (26%), Financial Services (19%), Public Sector (14%) and Engineering & Construction (12%).

The UK economy looked set to grow faster this year than even optimists had expected after data on the services sector that one economist called 'show-stopping' today.

The sector, which accounts for 78 per cent of the economy, grew at its fastest pace in more than six years last month, suggesting overall growth in the third quarter will be higher than expected. The purchasing managers' index leapt to 60.2 in July from 56.9 in June, its highest level since December 2006.

'Although an early call on one month's data, the forward-looking elements from the survey point to a further strengthening of GDP in Q3 as the UK heads towards "escape velocity" and self-sustaining economic expansion,' said Paul Smith, senior economist at survey compilers Markit.

IT hiring continues to grow faster than other job categories

IT hiring continues to grow faster than other job categories and the U.K. economy as a whole, finds KPMG/Recruitment & Employment Confederation study.

This was the second month in a row that IT led the country’s job market, the study said,contrasting the rise in demand for technologists versus that of other categories like hotel and catering, engineering/construction, and nursing/medical care.

According to tax and accounting group Bloomsbury Professional, HMRC opened 193 new investigations compared to 59 in the previous tax year.

This is very much in line with the government’s promises to crackdown on tax avoidance made in last year’s Autumn Statement, a stance that looks certain to be maintained following yesterdays’ Budget.

IR35 is tax legislation that allows the government to tax freelancers – who may work using ‘personal service companies’ – as though they were disguised employees of their clients. The legislation is designed to prevent freelancers paying lower tax rates and National Insurance on earnings when HMRC thinks they are really an employee.
Despite HMRC’s crackdown, so far the 193 new investigations have failed to turn up any compliance failures.

Martin Casimir, managing director at Bloomsbury Professional, says: “It is a common misconception that people only use personal service companies to avoid tax. For some individuals with more than one employer or for those working on a temporary basis, registering as a personal service company is a legitimate way to work.”

Job Market News: January 2013
UK jobseekers have the highest number of new opportunities at their disposal since 2009, according to the Reed Job Index, as the jobs market ended 2012 at its strongest for three years.

Highlights:
· Final quarter of 2012 strongest for vacancy numbers since 2009
· All UK regions offering more opportunities than in 2011
· Caution consistently giving way to optimism among employers

Grey Power is here to stay

Last Friday was the final day that employers in the UK could force workers to quit just for being 65. Prior to April 2011, employers could give workers between six and 12 months' notice of intention to force them to retire.  The abolishment of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) means the choice of when to stop working has been put in the hands of older workers themselves.   For those who want to keep working past 65, this is a positive development.   

Alex Currie , HR Advisor Go Compare ,  is the happy recipient of the recent £150 first  prize Recruitment Partnership  offered clients who took part in their recent customer satisfaction survey.

The results were collated from a broad range of clients from FTSE 100 to small enterprises across the UK. The results showed over  90%  of customers thought that Recruitment Partnership’s  services provided good value for money.

“Business took a break from hiring for the Olympics as a "significant" recruitment slowdown hit the market for white-collar jobs, industry professionals said today.

The latest jobs data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) revealed falling professional vacancies for both permanent and temporary staff in August. Permanent job vacancies were down 24 per cent on the same month last year, with temporary roles down 15 per cent, according to its latest snapshot of the market.

The latest jobs data covers professional workers in fields such as accountancy, law, banking, engineering, IT and marketing.

Ann Swain, chief executive, said: "This year, with the added distraction of the Olympics, some workplaces slowed almost to a standstill and businesses may have decided to put recruitment on temporary hold."”

Over 80% of UK contractors do not search for a new role until the last two months of an ongoing contract and 15% of these do not even start searching until they are already out of work.

This is according to a survey of 1,605 contractors nationwide by umbrella company FPS Group and freelance professionals jobs board ContractJobs.com.

The survey also finds that 42% of contractors secured their current position through a recruitment agency and 30% found it through friends and family.

FPS chief financial office Matt Huddleston suggests that the results “show recruitment agencies are still the first port of call for contractors looking for a new position”.

Recruitment has returned to growth following an early spring slump and a December 2011 nadir, according to the latest jobs data from APSCo.  According to the latest data, permanent placements rose sharply by 17% month on month and vacancies rose 19% (m/m). Job placements and vacancies are respectively 34% and 35% up on December 2011’s lows.  Not so good news for graudates that are being squeezed.   Graduate starting salaries are down as employers benefit from the high number of graduates chasing every role. Data compiled by Broadbean shows that average graduate salaries have plummeted 20.5% from this time last year to £24,070. Ann Swain, APSCO, adds: “Graduates have been hit hard by reduced graduate recruitment by the professions, which continues to squeeze starting salaries for those graduates lucky enough to break their way into the professions.”  “With professional recruitment showing signs of improvement, it could be that graduate intakes also start to recover during this summer’s graduate recruitment season.”

Temp demand rising in some sectors but down overall, says APSCo report.

The demand for financial services and engineering temporary workers rose over the month of March, but cross sector remains lower than the levels seen last year.

This is according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies’ (APSCo’s) ‘Monthly Trends’ report, surveying members of the association.

It shows that financial service temp demand is up 37% month-on-month, but down 35% when compared to the same month in the previous year.

In engineering, demand is 3% up on the month, and 5% on the year, while across all sectors temporary demand declined 1% across the month, but was still 10% lower than in March 2011.

In the permanent space, demand was down both on the month (21%) and on the year (3%).

Ann Swain, chief executive of APSCo, says: “Understandably, with the outlook still uncertain, employers have turned to temporary workers to plug any immediate skills gaps.”

Caroline Hudson, director at recruiter Argyll Scott, adds: “Many financial firms still have strict headcount limits in place and are finding it very difficult to get sign-off on permanent hires. The use of temporary workers has risen, partly to compensate.”

She adds: “There is significant demand for skills to work on implementing change management programmes in banks and other financial institutions. The project cycles tend to be of a fixed, shorter-term duration, so interim managers are often the preferred resource.”

Opportunities on the rise!

The UK labour market is heading in the right direction, according to the latest Reed Job Index.
Vacancies increased by 9% in the first quarter of 2012, compared with the same period last year, whilst there was a 6% increase between Q4 2011 and Q1 2012. This rise in job vacancies suggests the UK economy may be well placed to avoid a double dip recession.

Financial services sector continues to grow

The recovery in the UK financial services sector is continuing, a survey has suggested, with optimism improving and firms taking on new staff.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and employers' group the CBI found business volumes in the three months to March grew for the eighth quarter in a row.
Optimism in the sector rose for the first time in a year.
A separate survey of UK finance chiefs suggested that fears of a UK recession or a euro break-up have eased.

Recruitment Partnership have reported an increase in profits of 34% in the last financial year with demand still high for Financial Services specialists in IT and Business Change.

Pay prospects for IT staff are the highest they have been since winter 2007, reveals research by business and technology staffing company ReThink Recruitment.
Its IT directors’ survey shows that 59% of respondents expect salaries for their IT staff in the next year, compared to 47% last year, and just over a quarter (27%) for 2010.
Additionally, 43% of IT directors expect to increase headcounts over the next year, up from 36% last year.

Recruitment Partnership are pleased to announce the appointment of Sian Elsmore as a new permanent consultant to help out with heavy demand across their main markets.