CFOs uneasy about economic outlook
Chief financial officers in the UK are feeling less confident about the economy according to Robert Half.
umbrella companies
Road to cloud computing to benefit IT contractors
The cloud services market is growing and this could benefit umbrella company contractors and sole traders working in the IT sector.
Concerns over affect of immigration cap
The REC is concerned that the government’s proposed immigration cap will lead to a greater skills shortage in certain sectors. However, this has annoyed some contractors who feel threatened by cheap labour from outside the EU.
Umbrella company IT contractors not happy with budget
IntaPeople, an IT recruitment company has warned that key IT personnel, including those working through umbrella companies, will resign from the public sector and secure better opportunities elsewhere.
Umbrella companies could be hit with pension hike
Both the BCC and the CBI have hit out at the coalition’s proposal to abolish the default retirement age from April 2011. The BCC’s director of policy, Adam Marshall, says this will restrict the ability of businesses to manage their workforce.
Concerns over tax avoidance measures
The government has announced that they will once again look at whether a general anti-avoidance rule should be introduced as a measure to deter limited company tax evaders.
Will the employer’s NIC holiday benefit my umbrella company?
The FSB had urged George Osborne to give small businesses time to implement any changes to the VAT rate and he did indeed do so in his budget speech yesterday.
Go easy with tax increases says the BCC
The British Chamber of Commerce has warned George Osborne to tread carefully with his plans to increase taxes in today’s budget. UK umbrella companies will also be watching with interest.
Debate on economic outlook for contractors
Welcome news for temporary workers and freelancers comes in the form of the REC’s JobsOutlook report for June and the ONS.
HMRC issue online VAT return reminder
HMRC recently issued a statement to remind people of the need to complete their VAT procedures online if they have an annual turnover in excess of £100,000 or registered for VAT after the first of April this year.
Concerns over affects of tax hikes and spending cuts
George Osborne is due to give his emergency budget on June 22nd and it seems everybody wants to give him advice! Any measure introduced could affect umbrella companies.
Confusion on outlook for IT contractors
The KPMG and REC’s latest Report on jobs shows that recruitment demand for IT contractors has dropped for the 3rd consecutive month, whilst demand in all other sectors is rising.
Public sector contracts unlikely to dry up immediately
Umbrella company contractors working in the public sector can take comfort from recent comments made by Sir Peter Gershon. Gershon has already published a review into public sector efficiency in the UK and he was a special adviser to the Tories during the run up to the recent election.
Tough times ahead for HMRC
Morale is currently low at HMRC and employees have now been warned that they are in for tough times ahead. Chief Executive, Lesley Strathie, informed staff that they need to be realistic about the challenges they face.
Welcome announcement on red tape reduction
The coalition promised to cut the amount of red tape that umbrella companies and contractors are subjected to and yesterday Vince Cable announced the first stage of the plan.
IT contractors expected to do more with a smaller budget
A decrease in IT budgets could mean that contractors are expected to work harder this year. ReThink Recuitment conducted a study that shows that two thirds of decision makers in IT think workloads will increase over the remaining months of 2010.