Contractors working in HR and IT could see a growth in opportunities this year.

Adecco recently said that we can expect to see gradual jobs growth this year, led by the HR and IT sectors. The Olympics will also provide a welcome boost to the market.

The recruiter’s Job Watch survey showed that hiring slowed down considerably towards the end of last year. Despite the festive season, temporary recruitment in the retail sector actually declined, but permanent hiring increased. The survey also showed that the HR and IT sectors demonstrated tentative growth in the last couple of months of 2011.

Adecco’s MD, Steven Kirkpatrick, said jobs still exist and jobseekers shouldn’t give up. It is important for them to boost their chances by considering all the options, successfully marketing their skills and searching for opportunities.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games will create ten of thousands of opportunities, which will give jobseekers the opportunity to apply for a position outwith their usual sector and help them gain new skills and valuable experience.

SMEs also need to ready themselves for the possible disruption caused by the Games. BT recently surveyed 600 SMEs and discovered that 30% have not yet thought about disruption to the supply chain process during the Games, nor have they considered staffing levels.

Even SMEs who are not directly affected could have customers or suppliers in London who will be impacted by the Games. Furthermore, more than 33% of businesses think they might have staffing problems when employees are either unable to get to work, or want time off during the Olympics.

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IT umbrella company contractors working in the finance sector must be wondering what’s going to happen next.

In recent weeks, the major banks have been cutting rates for their IT contractors by an average 10%. A lot of contractors have also been given a mandatory two-week holiday over the Christmas and New Year period.

During the summer, finance sector contractors were full of confidence in their prospects for the coming year. A survey by Giant discovered that 37.2% of them were prioritising higher pay over long-term contracts.

However, the financial services sector has been rationalising and as often happens in these situations, IT budgets get cut and contractors are the first to feel the pinch.

The chief executive of APSCo, Ann Swain, explained that contractors are first in and first out. Unemployment is rising again and employers will generally cut back on their flexible workforce before making permanent workers redundant.

The major City banks do still have some IT projects on the go and there will be opportunities for contractors. However, it will be much harder to secure new contracts. The projects that were put on hold during the credit crisis are now in full swing, but banks are not looking to start new projects at the moment.

IT contractors with a highly specialised skill set should still find themselves in demand, but those with more general skills may find things more difficult. Financial and banking recruiters are still recruiting, but the level of hiring is no longer increasing. It remains to be seen whether this is a blip or a downward trend that is going to continue into next year.

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We’re continually hearing gloomy predictions about UK economic growth and demand for contractors in many sectors has been decreasing recently.

However, that could be changing. The Reed recruitment agency has released the results of its October Jobs Index survey, which reveals the largest month on month increase in job opportunities for almost two years.

The accountancy, IT, marketing and sales sectors all saw impressive increases, and although public sector demand is still low, it increased by nine points in to end October with a reading of 66.

The Reed Job Index began in December 2009 and a baseline figure was set at 100. October’s reading was 129 indicating that demand has risen by 29% in the two-year period.

Demand in the voluntary sector increased by an impressive 43 points, whilst the IT sector rose by 24 points to end the month on 173. PAYE umbrella company contractors also saw 2.5% more temporary opportunities in October than they did in September.

Tim Lovell, Reed’s Group MD, said the October Jobs Index recorded the best month-on-month increase in employment vacancies since the index began, with all 12 UK areas witnessing at least some growth.

He went on to point out that the North/South divide that we hear so much about is not as clear cut as some would make out. Last month, there was particularly strong growth in opportunities for candidates in Yorkshire and Humberside and London.

Salaries remained pretty much unchanged in October and the Reed Salary Index now reads 97, indicating a 3% decrease since December 2009. However, the retail and leisure and tourism sectors did record increases – up to 116 and 102 respectively.

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IT umbrella company contractors could be about to benefit from a newly launched cybercrime initiative.

At the beginning of July, the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance launched in England’s capital and this could create some exciting opportunities for the UK’s IT workers. This is the first time international law enforcement agencies have come together with businesses and governments to fight cybercrime.

David Cameron, the UK prime minister explained that the government has already injected an extra £650 million into improving the national infrastructure and protecting against the threat of cybercrime. However, he went on to explain that the nature of the threat calls for a global rather than a national response.

ICSPA will invest in training and the exchange of expertise on an international scale will create a network that is powerful enough to combat cybercrime, he added.

Meanwhile, workers in the IT and telecoms sector have been enjoying pay rises well above the national average.

Specialist recruiter Greythorn says the average IT sector salary has risen by 7.5% to more than £46,000 over the past 12 months. Bonuses rose by an average of 19% to £8,740 during the same period.

The MD of Greythorn, Paul Winchester, said this year has been good for IT professionals so far. Many companies have had to hire more staff for their technological departments and the increase in salaries reflects the need to get the best talent on board. The large increase also proves that experienced, talented professionals are thin on the ground and companies have to pay a premium to get the best people for their organisation.

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Umbrella company IT contractors could be amongst those to benefit from an anticipated increased spend in IT and telecoms services.

In-Stat, the independent industry analyst, has said that spending on IT services is set to increase this year, despite the challenges that still face the global economy.

The firm’s latest report indicates that spending on IT and telecoms services is set to rise by 6% this year, driven by demand for cloud computing, VoIP and wireless and wireline services.

Greg Potter, one of In-Stat’s analysts, said all 20 verticals will show growth with education, healthcare and social services leading the way. The only product group which is not expected to grow is wireline voice, which will decrease by a mere 0.5%.

Firms specialising in cloud computing should be the big winners. The In-Stat data claims that public cloud computing services spend will increase 139% on last year’s figure.

Whilst this is good news for the IT sector as a whole, IT professionals are struggling to draw up a solid plan for their IT career.

Research by Elan showed that 54% of respondents said the industry changes too quickly and 57% said IT workers think only of their next role as opposed to their long-term career aspirations.

The MD of Elan Solutions, Geoff Smith, said that employees are feeling the strain from the fast paced nature of change in the IT industry. Employers who let workers learn new IT skills, and update their current ones, will have an edge when it comes to hiring and retaining a motivated workforce.

The study also found that five years in one IT job is considered by many as long-term, although 30% of respondents had been in their present position for more than a decade.

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It would appear that people seeking executive jobs in the UK are not as confident that Britain is “open for business” as the Chancellor is.

TheLadders.co.uk, an executive services website, conducted a survey at the beginning of this month that discovered that George Osborne’s Budget only increased the confidence of 22% of executive jobseekers.

At the heart of this lack of confidence is the belief that the private sector will be unable to absorb the high number of public sector redundancies. 78% of the survey’s respondents think the amount of newly created private sector jobs will not be enough to counterbalance job losses.

Worryingly, 49% of Brits seeking an executive job would be prepared to move overseas to find employment. Unless new jobs are created quickly, this “brain drain” could see top talent leaving the UK.

61% of the survey’s respondents would be prepared to take a cut in salary in order to secure a new position. However, that might not be necessary as the latest REC/KPMG Report on jobs shows average starting salaries are now at their highest in eight months. Employers have realised that they need to compete harder if they want to hire the best, especially in the engineering, finance and IT sectors.

Meanwhile, the current number of people unemployed in the UK stands at 2.48 million, a decrease of 17,000 on the previous quarterly figures.

Despite this welcome news, Tom Hadley from the REC warns that the job market is still extremely fragile. The latest Report on Jobs showed that vacancies have risen to their highest level in 12 months giving a tentative sign that public sector redundancies could be absorbed into the private sector.

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IT umbrella company contractors should have been amongst those to benefit from an upsurge in demand for their services in recent months.

According to Richard Nott from CWJobs.co.uk, job opportunities for web development specialists are booming and there is currently a high demand for people with Java and SQL skills.

Last year, the skills most in demand were C, C# , .NET, SQL and SQL Server. Towards the end of 2010, there was also an increased demand for emerging skills such as Google Android and Scrum.

Contract rates in the IT sector increased last year and developers saw a 5% increase in offers compared to the year before.

Meanwhile, the latest Reed Job index showed that opportunities for computer workers using recruiters rose steeply in February, with vacancies in private sector organisations reaching their highest level for well over a year.

IT and telecoms scored 152 on the Reed Index, the highest level since the index began in December 2009. Engineering also scored 152, a rise of 59 points on the previous month and Strategy and Consulting registered a massive leap from 100 to 185.

Online agency Recruitment Genius said there finally seem to be green shoots of recovery on the jobs front, although it did say that the start of a new year was traditionally a busy period for the recruitment of managers.

Average rates across all 27 job areas fell by one point, largely due to increased competition as more candidates enter the market place.

The Reed Index is based on the appointments made by 8,000 recruitment agencies across the UK.

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59% of and umbrella company IT contractors and professionals are not loyal to their employment, according to a recent survey from The IT Job Board.

The most common reason, cited by 53% of the respondents, for disloyalty was put down to management not listening whilst 46% said the company they worked for cut corners. The banking and finance sectors have the highest movement amongst IT workers at 34%.

Now that the recession is over, 85% of IT workers are thinking of changing their job and 80% hope to achieve this aim next year.

Of those who plan to leave their current position, 53% said it was because they feel they are not valued and 48% say their current salary or rate is poor. Improved corporate communication could be the key to improved loyalty according to 58% of the respondents.

Of those who remain loyal to their employer, 45% said it was due to the exciting nature of the projects they were working on and another 45% said they liked the teams they worked with.

The MD of The IT Job Board, Alex Farrell, said employers should be worried about the high level of dissatisfaction expressed by IT professionals. With 80% planning to look for new jobs next year, employers could be in for a tough time recruiting replacement staff.

Employers must look to improving communications with their employees and making them feel valued. The best talent will be snapped up quickly due to the skills shortages that exist within the IT sector and employers will need to sell themselves to candidates if they want to attract high calibre workers.

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Umbrella company contractors could find they have to compete against more people in order to secure a role after Adrian Marlowe suggested that temporary work is becoming a more attractive option for jobseekers.

The ARC’s chairman said that the traditional idea of people seeking permanent employment as soon as they leave education is now outdated. The agency workers regulations have created a level playing field with respect to equal pay and working conditions and this makes agency work an attractive alternative to permanent employment. People working on a temporary basis through recruitment agencies already enjoy significant advantages, such as flexibility, that are not open to their permanent counterparts.

Graduate unemployment has hit the IT sector hardest over the past year, according to the Higher Education Careers Service Unit. Unemployment amongst IT graduates rose from 13.7% in 2008 to 16.3% last year and could lead to an increase in the number of skilled IT people choosing to go self-employed.

Despite this, Richard Nott from CWJobs.co.uk claims there are not enough skilled IT staff. Although the current figures show a lot of graduates have been unable to secure a position due to current market conditions, the underlying trend still shows a lack of graduates with the right skill set to fit the world of IT.

Of the people who graduated in 2009, 8.9% or just over 21,000 were still without a job in January this year, registering the highest rate of graduate unemployment since 1993.

A survey conducted by Orange found that 10% of graduates planned to start up their own business as soon as they graduated. 69% of graduates want the chance of flexible working and nearly half say the opportunity to work remotely is no longer a privilege; it is a must.

This sentiment is shared by the general working populace with 68% saying that working from home was an important element of job satisfaction.

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There has been plenty of good news recently for umbrella company IT contractors. Gartner, the industry analysts expect to see enterprise IT spending rebound next year after the last two years in decline.

Gartner predicts that IT spending in 2011 will increase by 1.3% to £493.2 billion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It was also noted that Western Europe would witness compound annual growth of 0.8% in the years to 2014.

There could be even more opportunities for IT contractors if a recent report from the Information Technology Industry Development Agency is correct. It predicts that outsourcing in the IT sector could increase by up to 600% in the next 10 years. There is a huge potential and the Everest Group, which advises Global 1000 business leaders, estimates the global sourcing opportunity in Europe will be worth between £155 billion and £186 billion.

IT contractors have already witnessed an increase in demand for their services over the last quarter months, according to JobsAdWatch.co.uk. The website reported a 13.3% increase in the recruitment of IT contractors in the past 3 months.

More good news came in the form of the Monster Employment Index for October which showed a sharp rise in the number of online contract opportunities across key sectors. Professional services opportunities for contractors working in consultancy, engineering, IT & Telecoms, management and marketing led the way and helped towards increasing the year on year total by 21%.

Strong growth was recorded in Wales and the Midlands; up 14% and 13% respectively. Julian Acquari, the managing director of Monster UK & Ireland, said these latest findings were encouraging. Most UK regions and industries reported increased online recruitment last month to extend a trend of improvement in the jobs market.

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The MD of technical recruiter CBSbutler, David Leyshon, believes that the government should tighten up immigration rules to ensure that highly skilled migrant workers from non European countries are not stuck in menial roles.

Research from the Home Office shows that nearly 1 in 3 highly skilled non-EU workers, who arrived in the UK on Tier 1 visas, are now in menial jobs such as security guards or shop workers.

These individuals were brought into the country for specific sectors such as IT or construction. At the time there was a high demand for their skills but in the last 18 months the demand has declined and although the workers came here on Tier 1 visas, there is now no work for them in their specific role. Leyshon wants to see the government enforce the Tier 1 guidelines, which say a specific job must be waiting for an immigrant.

Meanwhile, the temporary immigration cap is having an adverse effect on recruitment in the care, construction, manufacturing and logistics sectors, according to de Poel. One in five recruiters say they are now finding it harder to recruit skilled staff. The CEO of de Poel says that the government should rethink the immigration system so that the economic recovery is not harmed and ensuring that migrants cannot undercut British jobseekers and contractors.

There are also concerns that a permanent cap on skilled non-EU migrant workers will mean the UK is unable to recruit the 70,000 engineers it needs for the renewable energy sector.

Earlier this week David Cameron announced that the construction of new offshore wind turbines would create 70,000 jobs in the green energy sector. He also said that the government would do nothing to impede British companies from recruiting highly skilled workers from around the globe.

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Dr John Philpott, the chief economist at the CIPD, believes that the executive search market will continue to grow because neither the public nor the private sector has the ability to find and retain highly skilled workers.

This news could be good for umbrella company contractors who are searching for their next project. However, not all the news is positive.

Philpott also believes that unemployment will keep on rising until summer 2012, when it will peak at 2.85 million.

The IT sector has seen a decrease in the number of manager and project manager vacancies over the past few months. IT support staff are still in demand, as are web developers and people with experience in SQL, Java and .net.

Alex Farrell, MD of the IT Job Board which published the above findings, said that the decline in project management vacancies showed that companies have cut back on large IT projects that require specific skills. He also remarked that both permanent and temporary vacancies have decreased in the last few months and jobs for contractors now represent 25% of the vacancies advertised.

Prospects for temporary workers are not looking too promising at the moment either. A recent survey carried out by the REC has discovered that two thirds of the agencies that recruit for public sector bodies have seen a 20% drop in placements. This drop was evenly spread amongst support and admin roles and front line staff.

Most agencies expect to see a considerable drop in demand for temps over the next 12 months. The REC will however continue its campaign to promote the benefits a flexible workforce can bring to the country’s economic recovery.

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