11th January 2012

Contractor pay shows slight dip

Workers might want to make sure they are getting the best deal possible on their contractor tax as recent figures suggest that contractor pay declined slightly during December.

The Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found that temporary pay fell slightly, while salaries for permanent positions remained broadly flat.

The number of positions posted was also shown to have contracted in both markets, but skilled contractors could still find that their work is in demand as businesses are still struggling to fill many positions.

Bernard Brown, partner and head of business services at KPMG, explained: “The latest data suggests that, in the key industries of engineering, construction and IT, attempts to fill the gaps that do exist remain unsuccessful.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, noted that certain sectors are stronger than others: “Namely engineering, technology, IT, office professionals and we’ve also seen a surprising increase in demand for nursing, medical and care despite ongoing austerity measure.”

Change in the market could be the perfect time for individuals to take stock of their contractor tax situation in preparation for a possible change of position.