In 2010, David Cameron pledged £50million towards the much-vaunted ‘Silicon Roundabout’ development in the East End of London. The project would provide the UK with a dedicated tech-focused business area to rival the famous Silicon Valley in California.
However, for any such endeavour to reach its potential, many in the IT sector feel the Government need to do more. In particular, there needs to be recognition that the UK faces a dire skills shortage that is restricting growth across the sector.
According to Dexter Dyer of the payroll and tax advice specialists PayMatters, one answer could come from more Government promotion of the IT contracting workforce: “IT in the UK is a skill-starved sector, and more voices from throughout the industry are echoing our belief that talented contracting workers could help plug gaps in the short to medium term.”
“There will be nearly 180,000 new roles created in IT in the UK in the year ahead, and employers are concerned that permanent candidates just don’t have the experience required to competently fill those new positions.”
So what can the Government do?
“We would like to see more promotion of the role of contracting workers. By becoming a vocal champion of the skilled, temporary IT workforce, by funding awareness campaigns alongside industry players, the Government can help elevate the profile of contracting workers. This could go hand-in-hand with a relaxation of employment laws that currently hinder IT companies looking to bring in temporary staff.”
“Contracting staff work throughout the IT sector and have done for some time. Some 40% of IT jobs in 2010 were contract-based. However, policy recognition for the role of contract staff has gone unrecognised for too long, especially when you consider how vital temporary staff are to the UK economy. It is time for the Government to do more to herald the role of contracting workers, and too concentrate real resource towards helping the IT industry get more contractors on board, more quickly.”
PayMatters are APSCo accredited, professional passport approved and are business partners with the Institute Of Recruiters (IOR). PayMatters pride themselves on being fully HMRC compliant from an employers and employees NI, PAYE and expense perspective. For further information please contact Dexter Dyer, Senior Business Development Manager on 07825 605 407.
