The latest JobsOutlook from the REC contained some seasonal cheer for umbrella company contractors.
Despite the implementation of AWR in October, 28% of employers plan to increase the number of temps in their organisation over the coming quarter. A further 52% said they intended to maintain their temporary workforce at its current level. Over the longer term, only 17% of employers said they would be decreasing the size of their contractor workforce.
IT contractors have not had a good year, but that should change as we go into 2012. Another report, this time from Deloitte, suggests that large organisations are going to up their IT spending after 18 months of cutting costs.
The Deloitte report highlights certain areas that will benefit from the increased injection of cash. Among those is the retail sector, which has been struggling of late as consumers cut back on their spending. However, it will be all hands to the deck in 2012 as retailers invest in systems that allow shoppers to order goods online and then collect them from their nearest store.
Insurance companies will also need to boost their IT spend in order to comply with the Solvency II regulations.
Deloitte also believes the majority of companies will allocate a larger budget to Data Analytics in order to give them a competitive advantage over their rivals. This should lead to more development of Information Systems next year.
Contractors in the banking sector have not had much cause for celebration recently. They’ve seen their rates cut and some banks are forcing their contractors to take a two-week break over the festive period. But things are looking up! There’s less than three weeks to go until 2012 and if recent reports are true, greener pastures do lie ahead.
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Image: new year by *Sally M*
