Increase in public sector opportunities for engineering contractors

The public sector has seen the number of its engineering contractors almost double since 2011, according to umbrella employment provider, giant group.

A survey of engineering contractors across the UK found that, in 2011, 21 per cent of respondents were working in the public sector, with this figure increasing to 39 per cent in March 2013.

Matthew Brown, Managing Director of giant said: "As the public sector was forced to make cuts in difficult economic times, it often led to the freezing of permanent positions. As a result, contractors have been called in to bridge the gap, leading to this increase in engineering contractors working in the public sector over the last couple of years."

Unsurprisingly in the current economic climate, it was also found that engineering contractors are choosing job security over higher earnings. A huge 70 per cent of respondents said they would prefer long term contracts rather than higher per hour payment – an increase of 14 per cent from the survey in 2011.