As demand for IT services continues to recover, IT recruiters believe that contracted IT staff could be tempted to leave their current projects for better rates elsewhere. Many IT recruiters, who spoke to Contractor UK, stated that the increased demand for skilled IT contractors was resulting in increased pay.
The government have formally responded to the Intra Company Transfer petition. Their message is that the scheme does not allow cheap migrant workers to be employed in place in UK workers. The petition aimed to highlight the unfair use of the scheme and called for its abolition by the Prime Minister.
Siemens are the only provider of technology services at the BBC. At present they have more than 200 IT contractors working for the broadcaster but yesterday those contractors were asked to vote on a 24 hour strike.
The Forum of Private Business has urged the government to think about the needs of smaller businesses when developing legislation. They have criticised current legislation for only considering big businesses. They have said that this often results in smaller businesses, with fewer employees, having difficulty competing with their larger counterparts.
Freelancer group PCG has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at highlighting the talent and skills which exists within the contracting population of this country and the contribution they make to the UK economy.
The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has spoken out about their concerns regarding the increasing use of retrospective rules within the tax system in the UK. Following on from the High Court ruling a few weeks ago, the Treasury have since confirmed that retrospection would be applied to amend the tax rules on manufactured dividends. Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury, confirmed last week that this retrospective rule would be applied to October 2007.
HMRC have announced that they will extend the consultation period on the proposed ‘deliberate wrongdoing’ legislation. This move has been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT).The consultation period has been extended until the 28th April which means that this would not become law until the next parliament as it would miss next month’s Budget.
New data released shows that there are still a lack of job opportunities within investment banking as the sector struggles to regain public confidence.
The latest available figures show that the number of unemployed people in Britain has fallen once again. These figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that for the quarter ending in December unemployment stood at 2.46 million which was a decrease of 3,000 from the previous quarter. The rate of unemployment showed no change, staying at 7.8%. However, there was an increase in the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance which was up to 1.64 million – a rise of 23,500.
A new survey of over 700 employers has shown a growing trend for IT companies relocating employment opportunities abroad. India is the most popular destination for relocating jobs abroad, although Eastern Europe is also proving popular.
