If you’re a temporary worker, you can’t do better than looking for contract work in the Midlands and the south of England, according to last month’s figures from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
The REC says that contract billings filled by freelancers and umbrella service company workers rose in both the south of England and the Midlands in July. However, it’t not all roses, according to the REC, as the job gains in those two regions were offset by declines in the north of England and the capital..
The public sector continued to strip back their demand for temporary workers as budget cuts take their toll, offset by renewed interest by private industry. The medical, construction, and engineering sectors were the big drivers of the interim working economy.
The contract working sector truly is the one bright spot in a UK economy that has since slipped back into a double-dip recession. The Summer Games have also been less than stellar as a means to kick-start economic growth, as anywhere outside East London is a virtual ghost town, leaving business owners scratching their heads and wondering where all the blasted tourists are.
Contractors are the only people to win big so far, especially those who use umbrella companies to manage their affairs. These firms take the hassle out of PAYE and any other taxation issues, making it easy to focus on the project instead of getting bogged down in the minutiae of the taxman’s demands – IR35 regulations alone can send many freelancers into paroxysms of despair.
