Since Brexit, permanent placements are down to their lowest since the recession, which means the UK is relying on contractors to get back to a strong economy.
Who didn’t see this one coming though? It was pretty obvious that everything was going to take a big hit once we voted to come out of the European Union. First it was the currency, now it’s permanent employment. What’s next we all have to wonder.
While the UK might be on shaky ground right now, there is no denying that this does mean good news for umbrella contractors as they will be more in demand than ever before, to the point where I can see many contractors actually turning work away. Who would have thought that a few years ago? Strange but true.
Not only that, but I reckon this is a great time for people who have been thinking about making the jump into the contractor lifestyle to do it full force without looking back. Even if you only have half decent skills and a small amount of experience you should find yourself with plenty of work and a good opportunity to establish a presence in the marketplace.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) have been looking closely at the employment statistics for July and the results are clear…permanent UK jobs are becoming harder to find, with many businesses extremely cautious about taking on staff with the uncertain future we face as a nation. How did the millions of voters who wanted out of Europe not see this coming? It’s beyond me.
Maybe the UK can salvage something out of this Brexit mess, and start negotiations with our European cousins to try and smooth relations in order to stabilise the UK economy, and most importantly, the strength of the Pound against other currencies.
Whatever you think about Brexit and the UK leaving the European Union, one thing is for sure, umbrella contractors are in for a good few years across the board, with pay rates and benefits in the vast majority of industries expected to be very generous indeed.
Gone are the days of struggling to find even one contract for more than a few weeks and having to fill in the gaps with other kinds of jobs when there was no work to be found at all. It seems the good times are coming.
So get those contracts while you can, and work harder than you ever thought you would. The UK economy is now depending almost completely on you.
