The latest news affecting umbrella companies in the UK. Featuring HMRC, the Agency Workers Directive, the 2003 Agency Regulations, and IR35.
An umbrella company is the ideal solution for contractors who do not wish to set up their own limited company or become self employed. For contractors seeking a way of working which allows them to work on several contracts without administration, then an umbrella company is the answer.
According the REC’s January Jobs Outlook report, 91 per cent of employers are “happy” with the service they are receiving from external recruiters.
Roger Tweedy, the REC’s director of research, said that the figure was positive especially when you consider the difficulties the job market has faced over the last 12 months.
Since the new AWD regulations were published last week various professional organisations have voiced their concerns.
New data from the Office for National Statistics shows that unemployment fell by 7,000 to 2.46 million in the three months to December 2009.
There appears to be more confusion over the timing of the implementation of the Agency Workers Directive. The government had pledged to refrain from implementing it until October 2011 and yet it now seems that they would actually be keen to have it in place before the dissolution of parliament.
Online recruitment is on the up according to Monster’s Employment Index for December. The index closed the year on a 12 month high, posting a reading of 120, a rise of four points on the November figure.
Small businesses across the UK are still struggling to obtain finance, in spite of the targets set by the government as part of its bail-out packages for some of the country’s biggest banks.
