Government cost cutting to harm contractors?
The government’s public sector spending cuts will affect everybody including IT contractors and suppliers.
Sluggish private sector recovery sparks fears in Scotland
The Scottish private sector recovery slowed down last month according to June’s purchasing managers index from the Bank of Scotland. This development could affect umbrella company contractors operating in Scotland.
Will HMRC helpline changes affect umbrella companies?
The Low Income Tax Reform Group believes that HMRC’s decision to reduce the opening hours of its helpline will hamper it in its long term aim to move to online services.
Umbrella company contractors and the recruitment freeze
Contractors could benefit from continuing recruitment freezes as many firms still do not want to make permanent appointments. In fact the latest Manpower report says that nearly 90% of employers do not plan to increase recruitment in the third quarter.
Has unemployment really peaked?
The FSB recently conducted a survey of more than 1,400 of its members and found that 63% of small businesses, including recruitment agencies and umbrella companies, do not plan to increase their workforce over the coming 3 months.
Contractors and recruiters affected by travel disruption
The REC has had to postpone an upcoming workshop about improved recruitment practices in the public sector due to the flight disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull.
Umbrella company contractors should not dismiss the financial sector
According to reports from the REC, there has been a recent surge in the number of job vacancies for high end workers in the financial sector.
