Crystal Umbrella News

Financial Services Turn to IT Contracting to Secure Needed Skills

Global recruitment giant Morgan McKinley has some modestly encouraging news for PAYE umbrella contractors working in financial IT: its London Employment Monitor reveals that January saw a 64% surge in the availability of financial services jobs, which include permanent and contractor roles. However, while welcome, the figure represents a fall of 52% on January 2011, [...]

Forthcoming EU Law to Impose New Data Protection Obligations on IT Contractors

A specialist in information law has alerted contractors working in the IT skills market to the pending impact of a proposed new data protection directive from the EU. If passed by the European Parliament and the European Council, the law will impose new obligations on IT contractors, which could result in fines for failure to [...]

REC/KPMG Report on Jobs: Contractor Billings Better Than December but Grow Only Slightly

It will hardly have many PAYE umbrella contractors popping open champagne bottles but the latest REC/KPMG Report on Jobs, which is published today, does contain a few ‘glimmers of hope’ that the economy may not be heading for the knacker’s yard just yet. Permanent staff appointments rose slightly in January, marking the first time in [...]

IT Contracting Market will be Strong in 2012 Leading Recruiter Predicts

The general economy may be limping painfully at present but the market in IT contracting is likely to remain in good health over the next twelve months, according to a prominent online recruitment site. The IT Jobs Board has released data which shows that, while employers remain cautious about hiring new staff, many are finding [...]

Gas and Oil Contractors Should Have Years of Work Thanks to New North Sea Pipeline

Oil and gas engineers working through umbrella companies or limited companies could well benefit from a major new drilling project in the North Sea, as oil leviathan BP seals a multi-million pound deal with a giant offshore engineering company Subsea 7. The new Subsea 7 initiative, based in Wick, will build new pipelines at the [...]

Permanent and Contractor IT Jobs Grew in 2011, New Data Reveals

Despite the actions of major banking institutions last year, which saw pay rates for specialists in IT contracting being summarily slashed, 2011 was actually a rather good year for those who earn their daily bread in the IT skills market. Data from online IT recruiters CWJobs.co.uk and JobAdsWatch.co.uk reveals a strong rise in job postings [...]

IT Contracting Experts Shift to Telecoms

New research reported in Shout 99 confirms that growing numbers of PAYE umbrella contractors specialising in the IT skills market are moving into the telecoms sector. The study by giant group plc reveals a 43% leap in the number of contractors opting for telecoms jobs over the last twelve months, largely in response to demand [...]

Contractors in Oil and Gas Industry See Big Increases in Pay Rates

PAYE umbrella contractors with skills in the oil and gas industry are likely to be cheered by the latest Oil and Gas Salary Guide, which polled more than 14,000 workers in the industry. After a difficult year in 2011, the oil and gas industry appears to be springing back into rude health. The Salary Guide [...]

IT Contractors to be Lapped Up as G20 Digital Economy Soars in Value

A study from the global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) makes for very happy reading for specialists in IT contracting. The research forecasts a massive proliferation in the use of internet-enabled mobile devices, which will double the value of the G20’s web economy by 2016. The value of that economy is set to [...]

HMRC Extends Online Self Assessment Deadline for Contractors Due to Strike

HMRC has just announced a mild analgesic for the tax return migraine that many will suffer this year. Busy contractors working through their own limited companies have an additional headache at this time of year with HMRC’s self-assessment tax return deadline due to slam into place. It is tomorrow, of course, which means that, as [...]