The demand for IT contractors reached a six-month high this week, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
This rise in demand is certainly a positive step in what has been a difficult period, and it is hoped that this will be a sign of things to come.
IT demand sits third in a list of eight temporary work sectors that the REC analyses, and using its own scoring system, rated IT demand at 53.9, the highest since August of 2011. The rating for this time last year was 63.2, which put it top of the REC’s table. Despite the rating still being a fair way off its best though, this rise indicates that more companies are looking for IT contractors than in the recent past and that there are definite signs for optimism if you are currently ‘on the bench’.
A shortage of IT project managers, developers and SAP specialists has been cited as reasons for growth, and companies are actively looking to engage people in these roles. Recruitment agencies have also highlighted the growing demand for IT specialists in gaming and computer hardware manufacturing positions.
The REC report has also highlighted that the recently introduced Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) are continuing to have minimal effect on temporary workers, and whilst it is unknown how AWR will affect the long term prospects of contractors, the report says 84% of employers claim they will maintain or increase their number of temporary workers.
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