Contractor demand remains firm

The demand for contractors and other temporary workers has remained steady, according to the latest JobsOutlook from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

Demand held up in the fact of the Agency Worker Regulations, with 27 per cent of employers shown to be intending to increase their use of agency workers in the short-term. Fifty-seven per cent said that they would keep their use of contractors at the same steady level, leaving just a small percentage who were not planning on expanding their temporary workforce.

Meanwhile, in the long-term, 65 per cent intend to maintain their current usage, while 22 per cent said that they plan to make an increase.

Roger Tweedy, director of research at the REC, said that the outlook is indeed “encouraging”. He added: “The data also shows that the vast majority of businesses plan to maintain or increase their use of temporary staff which indicates that flexible working options will continue to provide an important outlet for employers and job-seekers.”

Permanent staff, meanwhile, did not have so much to look forward to in the short-term, with a two per cent drop in the number of firms planning to increase their permanent workforce.