High demand for contract professionals

Self-employed professionals are experiencing a spike in demand as skills shortages have many businesses turning to the flexible workforce.

According to APSCo’s Recruitment Trends Snapshot report, using data provided by Bullhorn, while permanent vacancies were up 12% on February’s data and 17% year-on-year, demand for contract professionals reported the biggest uptick, increasing 22% month-on-month and 24% year-on-year.

Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo, commented, “The latest data shows that the hiring crisis across the UK is continuing, with vacancy numbers spiking once again. While this appears positive on paper, the continued shortage of skills combined with an increase in the cost of living is making the employment market more competitive.

“Just last month, Microsoft’s second annual Worker Trend Index revealed that 43% of global staff are considering a job change this year while the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also reported yet another increase in vacancies in March. If this level of uncertainty, change and demand continues, the UK’s labour market will struggle to meet the needs of the economy.”

Joe McGuire, Sales & Strategy Director, Analytics at Bullhorn, added, “Demand remains extremely high across the board and agencies are having to be more strategic about how they work with candidates. It’s never been more important to ensure that candidates are interviewing with multiple clients, not just one. Historically we have seen demand dip slightly as we move into the new financial year but it will be interesting to see if this rings true in 2022.”

To find out more about contracting please contact Jaime on 01206 591 000 or email jaime.thorpe@contractorumbrella.com.