PAYE Umbrella Contractor Roles Growing Across the Board

Specialists in IT contracting have had some encouraging news from a variety of sources recently, all of which indicate that the sector is doing surprisingly well despite the harsh economic climate. Now Reed Recruitment has added to the seasonal cheer with a forecast that contractor roles in the IT skills market will be much in demand during the first quarter of 2012.

According to Reed’s senior divisional director, Andrew Gardner, PAYE umbrella contractors of all stripes can expect to do well, in fact, as the agency has noticed growing demand for contract roles “across the board.”

Although IT jobs have been falling in the financial services sector over the last few months – an unsurprising development given the combined effects of the tough economic times and the reforms the government is pushing on the sector – there are good reasons to believe that demand for IT experts in other areas will remain strong. As Gardner put it, “Businesses almost can't do without IT now. It’s not an optional service.”

Retailers in particular have been surprised by the strength of the traffic through their websites, he noted. While they are unlikely to interfere with their systems during December – Christmas is a vitally important time for them – they are likely to start appointing IT experts early in the New Year to enhance their Web capability. Moreover, Gardner believes, many of these roles will go to contractors, as employers remain “nervous” about appointing permanents to start new projects in such economically uncertain times.

Reed has also noticed that in the past, applicants faced around three interviews before clinching the role they were after. Today, they’re facing more.

Source:

http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/careers/3326540/it-contractors-are-benefiting-from-cautious-employers-says-reed-technology/