Do umbrella company contractors name God as a referee?
You may think God is on your side but he doesn’t give job references!
Month: February 2011
Employee sickness levels are on the rise
The latest ONS statistics show that levels of staff sickness absence have reverted to pre-recession levels. Before the economic crisis, 2.5% of respondents said they had taken a day off in the 7 days prior to the survey.
HMRC amends wording of new tax avoidance regulations
The government has confirmed that deferred bonuses will not fall under its new tough tax avoidance regulations.
Economy is improving, will business confidence follow suit?
The latest ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence monitor shows that business confidence is weakening but the economy is slowly improving.
Does a north/south divide affect umbrella company contractors?
There is a North-South divide when it comes to hiring intentions, according to the latest quarterly survey of entrepreneurs conducted by RSM Tenon, the professional services firm.
The end of the road for IR35?
Member companies of the REC met with the Office of Tax Simplification last week to discuss IR35. The REC was recently appointed to the OTS’ small business consultative committee. The head of public policy at the REC, Gillian Econopouly, said she was delighted that members had the opportunity to discuss IR35 directly with the OTS.
SMEs spend weeks trying to understand government regulations
The problem of the multitude of different government regulations is now so bad that businesses often breach them simply because they don’t know which rules apply to them, according to a new report from the National Audit Office.
Private sector unable to absorb public sector job losses
Consumer confidence dipped last month, according to the most recent Expectations and Spending indices from the Nationwide. This could have a knock on effect on umbrella company contractors as businesses rein in spending temporarily.
No cap on high earner Certificate of Sponsorship visas
On Wednesday, the government announced new rules regarding work visas for non-EU nationals.
Employers battle it out to attract top umbrella company contractors
Small businesses may need to re-think their rates if they want to attract highly-skilled talent, according to Badenoch & Clark.
New online assessment tool for recruiters launched by APSCo
APSCo has just released a new online assessment tool to help recruiters benchmark the progress of their consultants, a move that could raise standards and benefit umbrella company contractors.
Are locums actually disguised employees?
HMRC has been investigating the employment status of locum doctors and as a result they and the practices they work in may have to pay extra tax.
Are umbrella companies affected by HMRC staff cuts?
Umbrella company contractors might be unsurprised to hear that the Commons Treasury select committee has been told that HMRC is nearly at breaking point due to recent staffing cuts.
REC joins OTS consultative committee
Umbrella company contractors will be interested to hear that the REC is joining the Office of Tax Simplification. REC officials will now join a number of other legal and tax experts on the small business consultative committee.
FSB speaks out during National Apprenticeship Week
This week is National Apprenticeship Week and the FSB has taken the opportunity to urge the coalition to remove some of the barriers stifling job creation, to enable more businesses to take on apprentices.
How to write the perfect CV, contractor style!
It can be a cut-throat world competing for contracts, with several people all after the same position. How do you outshine the rest?