Contractor opportunities on the increase

Temporary and contract vacancies have increased across the professional staffing market with opportunities up by six per cent year-on-year.

Vacancies within finance and accounting were particularly strong, increasing by 10 per cent, with IT and Engineering also recording uplifts of seven per cent and one per cent respectively, according to figures from agency group APSCo.

Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, said: "The number of self-employed people in the UK has swelled by over half a million since 2010, accounting for over a quarter of the growth in total employment during this time.

"There are now in excess of 4.6 million professionals working on a self-employed basis, representing 15 per cent of the UK workforce.

"This month saw the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) publish a review of self-employment, which called for changes to the taxation system, alongside more flexible financial solutions in areas such mortgages and pensions, and equal treatment for benefits like Maternity Allowance.

"Likewise, the recruitment profession is also responding to this structural change in the jobs market, as organisations and contractors alike reap the economic benefits of working on a flexible basis."