Small firms turn to IT freelancers

Small businesses are increasingly looking to IT consultants to meet their demands.

Online business marketplace, PeoplePerHour.com, reported a 144 per cent increase in the number of small businesses hiring IT consultants over the last 12 months, up from 7457 businesses to 18,226 now.

They said that small businesses are requiring a range of IT skills, with demand for web programming up 165 percent and IT training up 161 percent over the past 12 months; while demand for SEO has increased by 141 percent in the last 12 months.

Demand for IT consultants has increased most in the North West with an increase of 79 percent, the South West with an increase of 76 percent and London with an increase of 72 percent.

According to PeoplePerHour.com founder and CEO Xenios Thrasyvoulou these latest figures show that despite the difficult economic climate small firms are investing in IT to drive their businesses forward.

He said: "The jobs market is at a tipping point with freelancers set to play a more dominant role in the workplace over the next five years. The huge growth in small businesses employing highly skilled IT consultants is firm evidence of this. Small businesses now realise that they have access to highly skilled and affordable IT consultants without having to employ them full time, something which many small businesses find prohibitively expensive.

"Many small businesses worry about the stigma of employing freelancers, but these new figures show they have realised that they cannot afford not to hire them. Improving SEO can be crucial to marketing your company online.

"What's more, these new figures show that businesses are planning for the future by making their companies more competitive."