Public sector freelancer hiring rate down by 15%

While private sector firms are hiring temporary staff with highly specialised technical skills, the public sector's contractor hiring rate has slipped by nearly 15 per cent, according to a recent quarterly report from procurement firm Comensura.

Government announces £200m in funding for brightest UK businesses

Thanks to a GrowthAccelerator, new business initiative recently unveiled by Vince Cable, £200 million in funding will soon be made available for the brightest businesses in the UK - and industry experts say that contractors that work with umbrella companies are in an excellent position to benefit from the new, positive attention.

Is the government forcing contractors into umbrella companies?

After the recent revelations that a lot of Government contractors were avoiding tax by paying themselves through a personal service company, the Treasury has announced that all contractors earning more than £220 a day will have to pay the correct tax if they have been in a department for longer than 6 months.