New projects set to benefit IT contractors

Posted on February 3, 2012 by easyadmin

There are two new developments set to take off this year that will
hugely benefit IT contractors.

At present, the government’s largest IT contractor Hewlett Packard,
sub-contracts some of its public sector work to 600 smaller IT firms, as well
as individual freelancers who work through PAYE
umbrella services or limited companies.

It has now been revealed that this number is set to increase by 5 per
cent (from 10 per cent), which should help a further 150 small firms and IT
contractors.

Hewlett Packard’s UK managing director, Nick Wilson,
said, “We are stepping up our engagement with this dynamic sector as we
believe there is even greater potential to help smaller enterprises bring
innovation to our customers and growth to the British economy. Continue reading →

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Another promising set of results from Freelance.com

Posted on January 12, 2012 by easyadmin

Freelance.com have released their quarterly Fast 50, which in summary shows the demand for freelancing jobs based on their giant marketplace of jobs.

Freelancer.com’s Chief Exec Matt Barrie said of the results: “Overall, online projects were up over 18% for the quarter. The sophistication and nature of jobs continues to amaze us as we see jobs outsourced in areas as diverse as Astrophysics, Genetic Engineering and Industrial Design.”

At first glance the results look very positive jobs where up from 114,000 in Q3 to 134,820 in Q4, a rise of almost 20%.

The largest rise was in entry data with jobs up a staggering 54% closely followed by Excel work up 51%, indicating spreadsheets seem to be the way forward!

The news continues to look promising for developers and programmers. C++ grew 38%, Java 36%, and .NET 27%.Follwoing the trends of previous quarters Android work grew 33% and iPhone work 18%. Continue reading →

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Mental health problems in the workplace need addressing

Posted on January 3, 2012 by easyadmin

A new survey has revealed that although more than a quarter
of employees have experienced a mental health problem, too few employers are
taking positive steps to effectively manage this common issue.

The research, which has been carried out by the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the mental health
organisation Mind, has found that just four in ten employees would feel
confident to discuss a mental health problem with an employer.

The survey, which was made up of 2,000 UK respondents in
employment, interestingly shows that those working in the voluntary sector
(39%) and public sector (37%) are significantly more likely than those in the
private sector (23%) to say they have experienced a mental health problem while
in employment. Continue reading →

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Broadband policy must be right for small business’s online trade to grow

Posted on December 15, 2011 by easyadmin

6204305191 8b9c504d8d m Broadband policy must be right for small business’s online trade to growThe Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has released a new report showing how onlinetrade is vital for the growth of small businesses.

The UK’s business organisation, which represents the self-employed and those who run their own businesses, has expressed the need for the Government to get its policy on broadband right by ensuring that everyone has access to adequate broadband.

In the latest report, ‘Small businesses and online trading’, which had nearly 1,800 respondents, the FSB has raised concerns that lack of broadband coverage and slow broadband speeds are putting small firms off from trading online – and therefore preventing them from expanding their business.

John Walker, National Chairman of the FSB said, “The biggest obstacle for many small businesses is the lack of broadband speeds and so as a result they cannot compete online.

“The FSB is calling on the Government to ensure that all small businesses are connected and have access to the broadband speeds they need to allow those that want to, to do business online.” Continue reading →

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Small businesses risk alienating customers with social media techniques

Posted on December 7, 2011 by easyadmin

A report has found that small businesses are using social media techniques instead of working on their customer’s basic needs first.6292167103 ab3bbb824f Small businesses risk alienating customers with social media techniques

The study, carried out by Mind Metre Research and commissioned by the communication expert company Pitney Bowes, found that the SMEs questioned, were investing time and money into social interaction techniques that their customers do not want.

The investigation’s aim, which involved 1,000 consumers from the UK (but 6,000 overall from other countries) was to provide SMEs with insight into which customer interaction methods encourage repeat purchases. Continue reading →

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