Recruitment of Online Contractors Highest in the UK

Encouraging news has appeared for the jobbing PAYE umbrella contractor interested in online work: a recently published report from the internet work platform Elance shows that UK businesses are recruiting online freelancers more prodigiously than any other EU country.

Elance’s European Online Employment Report shows that Britain now outstrips Germany as the biggest recruiter of online contractors, with Switzerland and the Netherlands close behind in third and fourth places. Fabio Rosati, Elance’s Chief Executive Officer, said the report’s findings show Britain to be “at the forefront of the online worker trend in Europe.” The number of UK businesses hiring online contractors, many of whom work through umbrella companies, grew by 55% since Quarter 3 of 2010.

Mr Rosati continued “Across the country, businesses are embracing the flexibility that a freelance workforce offers and contractors are snapping up opportunities to work online at a time when traditional employment routes are flat-lining.”

The trend suggest a convergence of mutual interests, with more people working as online contractors and more companies seeking flexible professionals to fill skills gaps and complete necessary projects as quickly and efficiently as possible. More UK firms are changing the way they work as a result of online freelancing - and succeeding “as never before,” Mr Rosati added.

Elance data reveals that online working has taken root most vigorously amongst employers in London, although impressive growth has also been seen in Birmingham (up 89%), Reading (up 59%) and Reading (up 40%).

Contractors working in the IT skills market may wish to note that the roles most heavily in demand were PHP programmers, followed by WordPress programmers.

Source:

http://www.recruiter.co.uk/uk-is-top-cloud-freelance-land/1011597.article