IT contractor demand is still high in the North, with businesses operating across the border are demonstrating increased demand for the third consecutive month.
The latest jobs report from the Bank of Scotland recently revealed that the market for IT contracting positions filled through recruiters or umbrella companies grew yet again, though May’s increases did not meet the same levels of April’s. The bank study examined in excess of 100 employment and recruitment agencies, discovering that Edinburgh had the largest rise in positions, while the best market for interim workers and contractors was found to be Glasgow once more.
The Bank of Scotland’s chief economist, Donald MacRae, commented on the findings, stating that even though 2012 is bringing with it a substantial global slowdown, the labour market in Scotland is showing great resilience. Pay rate increases were found to be the highest in both Dundee and Edinburgh, while the rate of employment opportunities in Aberdeen was also found to be exhibiting encouraging characteristics, according to the bank economist.
Independent research also says that, even as businesses scale back their hiring of permanent positions out of an effort to cut costs, opportunities for interim workers abound and may actually grow as a result. The flexibility of hiring a contract worker through a recruiter or an umbrella company provides peace-of-mind for many businesses concerned with the bottom line but still wish to provide high levels of production quality or customer service.
This could very well lead to a boom for the contracting industry as a result, sources say, with some former permanent workers faced with redundancies taking up freelancing positions instead.
