41% of all the UK contractors work in IT!
The PCG recently surveyed the freelance marketplace and discovered that there are currently around 1.4 million contractors in the UK; 41% or 574,000 of them are IT contractors.
RBS IT contractors face 10% cut to their hourly rate
Umbrella company contractors working in the banking sector may be distressed to learn that RBS has made across the board cuts of 10% in their IT contractor rates.
REC calls for NIC holiday for firms taking on young workers
Umbrella company contractors might be interested to hear the REC’s opinion on the latest unemployment statistics.
Contractors average hourly rates increase slightly
Umbrella company contractors will be pleased to learn that despite the global economic turmoil, their rates have managed to increase.
Progress at last from the IR35 Forum
Contractors, including those working through an umbrella company, may be interested to learn that the IR35 Forum is starting to make real progress.
Umbrella contractors need to get their tax affairs in order
UK limited company contractors may want to seek the advice of an accountant now that the coalition has struck a deal with the Swiss government in a bid to win the battle against offshore tax evasion.
IT contractors could benefit from government investment
IT contractors working through an umbrella company might be set to benefit from a new round of government investment.
Will umbrella companies suffer from AWR?
The Cranfield School of Management thinks the implementation of AWR will cause small business owners to think more carefully about using workers from umbrella companies.
Demand drops for contractors with banking experience
Umbrella contractors may be interested to learn that the September Job Index from Reed showed falling job demand in a range of sectors. The index fell back one index point compared to the previous month, although demand is still up 16% year-on-year.
Umbrella contractors will not get tax cuts for Christmas
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, said recently that the government will be unable to cut taxes this parliament due to the global economic crisis.
Would a second round of QE benefit the UK economy?
The Bank of England says that the quantitative easing programme that was rolled out after the credit crunch boosted the UK’s economy by 2%, adding weight to demands for the Bank to print more money.
Small businesses urgently need to access credit
Vince Cable, the business secretary, says that the suggestion to set up a new government funded bank to lend to SMEs, would not be effective in tackling the crisis those businesses face when trying to obtain credit.
