Flexible workforce is the 'new normal'

by Susie Hughes at 10:52 03/03/15 (News on Business)

Temporary and contract vacancies remain strong across the professional staffing market, despite an increase in availability of permanent roles, with opportunities up by 7.7 per cent across the board.

According to figures released by agency group APSCo temporary vacancies across finance and accounting, IT, engineering and media and marketing have all increased year-on-year (25 per cent, eight per cent, 4.3 per cent and nine per cent respectively). Advertisement These figures are in line with recent data released by the ONS which found that self-employment has outstripped growth in permanent employment by three to one over the past ten years, with an additional 88,000 people becoming self-employed in the three months to December 2014. (See: The march of the self-employed continues - Shout99, Feb 2015). Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, said: “It is no surprise that contract vacancy numbers remain strong, despite a marked increase in permanent roles. This data reiterates what APSCo has long predicted – that the professional flexible workforce is now ‘the new normal’. "Whereas historically, many organisations may have thought of temporary workers as people to hold the fort during absence – or as a means of managing workload during an economic downturn - the reality is now quite different. "According to a report by the IPPR, the UK is now the self-employment capital of Western Europe. We are entering a new era of corporate agility and freelancers, professional interims and contractors are increasingly choosing to take control of their employment and manage their careers on their own terms.” Tweet -- If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'. - Susie Hughes © Shout99 2015

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