While just a few years ago contracting was the domain of a select operators in certain specialist fields, now it is common place for many individuals and a wide range of roles/areas.
IT, 920’s specialist space, arguably has a more of a need than others due to the more project based nature of developments and the need to call on certain people at key stages (eg, Architects, Testers, etc). As such, we thought it good to share some of the key findings from a local survey conducted for The Contingent who work in the Contractor Workforce space.
Their survey had a few key points that will be of interest to both contractors and also hiring managers:
1. Contractors represented 8% of the total workforce
Seventy-four percent of respondents stated their organisation currently employed contractors. At these firms, Contractors represented 8% of the total workforce.
NB. 8% is low by international standards. The July Human Resources Magazine article that featured The Contingents survey results showed a 2012 figure of 26% in the US, which had grown from 15% in 2008 – citing the Aberdeen Report.
2. Contractor numbers are more likely to increase in the next 12-18 months than decrease.
Most respondents stated they believed the number of contractors working for their organisation would either ‘increase’ or ‘stay the same’ in the next 12-18 months. For example, 24% stated that the number of contractors providing ‘professional services’ would be likely to ‘increase’ (32% stated the number would ‘stay the same’ and 15% stated the number would ‘decrease’).
NB. This fits with what we’re seeing in the market place where there is strong demand for a range of IT roles. With a number of organisations looking to create efficiency and adapt working practices with focused attention on changing systems to support this.
3. Contractor-related organisational risks are currently relatively high.
One in four respondents stated their organisation did not have any policies that specifically related to contractor pay rates, performance, compliance (tax and insurance) and tenure (24%). In general, less than one-half of contracting organisations had policies in each of these areas.
If any of the above has raised questions for you, get in touch with the team at 920. We specialise in IT recruitment – providing services for both permanent and contract roles. This means we’ve got our finger on the pulse in this area.
Information contained in this article courtesy of The Contingent New Zealand Workforce study. www.thecontingent.co.nz
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