FSB survey shows new avenue of opportunity for umbrella contractors New figures this week from The Federation of Small Businesses made interesting reading we thought! According to the FSB, it's not just large established businesses that will be using umbrella contractors in the future, but also new start-ups as well.

These findings come soon after recent research which showed that smaller companies as well as larger ones are also using contrators, and clearly show that new businesses could well also be turning to contractors who work through umbrella companies to find the highly skilled staff they need at this crucial time.

Despite there being 2.62 million people in the UK who are unemployed, the survey found that more than 25% of new start-up businesses can't find enough staff who have the right skills, to carry out vital tasks.

Which creates a serious opportunity for contractors working through umbrella companies to seek appointments within smaller organisations - which is a target audience that they might not have previously even considered.

The All Party Parliamentary Small Businesses Group (APPSBG) has been investigating the issue, and is calling on the government to reinstate the graduate internship scheme and to 'prioritise enterprise education urgently. But this is certainly more of a long term soluton, and meanwhile, umbrella company contractors can reap the benefit!