We were very interested to see that the REC’s JobsOutlook figures show that 52% of employers plan to maintain their non-permanent staffing levels, are almost a third of those surveyed are aiming to increase levels - 9% more than the same time last year. Great news for contractors who operate through umbrella companies.

Commenting on the report, the REC’s Chief Executive Kevin Green said, “The ongoing economic uncertainty has clearly influenced hiring patterns. Using temporary and contract staff is an attractive option and continues to provide a means of bringing in the right skills at very short notice. There is no doubt that the AWR has created significant cost and bureaucracy for agencies. At the same time, the need for agency staff is well established. The main impact to date has been the development of new supply models rather than any sort of collapse in demand for temp and contract labour. These are trends that we will continue to track as we approach the first 12 week milestone."

At the same time as these figures were released, after its latest meeting the REC Technology Sector Group commented that demand for IT umbrella contractors is showing ‘continued signs of strong growth’. The Group, which collects recruitment data from 570 IT-specialist agencies across the industry, found that systems managers and product developers were in highest demand, which concurs with the latest REC/KPMG Report on Jobs, as this also showed increased demand for umbrella IT contractors. Jeff Brooks, the Group’s Chair, commented, “I was pleased to hear from many of our members that they are looking forward to 2012 with confidence about the IT jobs market. The recruitment sector has always been good at adapting to external developments. Social media is the latest change to manage and has already resulted in specialised recruiters reinventing the way they build their brand and build relationships with clients and candidates.”