Scottish employment recovery stalls
The Scottish economy continued to improve in July, but this improvement did nothing to boost employment levels.
news
The latest news affecting umbrella companies in the UK. Featuring HMRC, the Agency Workers Directive, the 2003 Agency Regulations, and IR35.
The UK’s workforce is working harder!
We’re working harder than ever and struggling to find enough time for leisure activities, according to a survey by Randstad.
Will reduction in regulation benefit umbrella companies?
Vince Cable, the business secretary, has announced that the new ‘one in, one out’ system of regulations will come into effect as from the first of September this year, a move that has been welcomed by the FSB.
REC reports grim news on interim jobs
Demand for contractors dropped in July according to the latest Report on jobs from the REC. This fall is mainly attributed to public sector cuts.
Is going it alone the answer to unemployment?
The current employment environment should be encouraging entrepreneurship among Britons according to the REC.
There’s increased demand for IT contractors
IT contractors could find themselves in demand by some of the largest companies in the UK.
Umbrella company public sector interims make economic sense
IMS Executive Ltd recently conducted a survey of 2,000 public sector Interim Executives, including those from umbrella companies, to find out how willing they would be to reduce their daily rates.
Hospital Trust and IMA defend huge costs of interim manager
A recent story in the press about the pay of an interim manager at the NHS Trust at Dorset County Hospital has caused the Interim Management Association to highlight the value of these highly skilled, expert flexible workers.
Default retirement age expected to be scrapped
The coalition is considering scrapping the default retirement age as from October next year.
Reviewing IR35 will not be a quick process warns the OTS
The REC has written to the chairman of the Office of Tax Simplification highlighting the importance of a comprehensive review of the IR35 regulations.
Contract opportunities still available for London 2012
The REC’s Technology sector group recently invited London 2012 Head of Recruitment, Paul Modley, to speak about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead during the countdown to the Olympic Games.
Travel and subsistence expenses guidelines for umbrella companies
On Tuesday the government published their proposed amendments to the travel and subsistence expenses scheme for workers receiving the National Minimum Wage.
Cable to clamp down on banks that do not lend to SMEs
SMEs and umbrella companies have been struggling to get much needed finance from the banks and Vince Cable has now put forward the government’s proposals to force the banks to make more funds available for small companies.
Recruitment for HR professionals is on the up
Robert Walters, a specialist recruitment agency, says that the HR sector is now actively looking for people with human resources and corporate responsibility skills. This should come as positive news for contractors who possess the requisite skill set.
Umbrella company contractors affected by backlog of tax claims?
We all know that HMRC has been instructed to collect as much overdue tax as possible but it might surprise you to know that it also has a significant amount of overpaid tax claims to work through.
Small businesses are feeling less than optimistic
The Voice of Small Business Index shows that confidence amongst SMEs deteriorated in the 2nd quarter of 2010.