As well as the praise from the PM, the PCG also announced that new data from Kingston University has revealed that the number of freelancers in the UK has grown to 1.56 million (1 in 20 UK workers) from 1.4 million in a similar study in 2008.

This growth was well received by the PCG’s Managing Director John Brazier who said;

“The figures underline the steady growth in the sector in turbulent times, and confirm a widely held belief that more and more skilled and talented individuals are opting for freelancing as a work/lifestyle choice, or because of economic circumstances. Freelancers are offering industry and commerce a flexible talent stream when and where it is needed.”

As part of the NFD celebrations the PCG also hosted a ‘Fit to Freelance’ quiz, also hosted by ICS. The PCG reported that more than 1,800 people completed the quiz, revealing some interesting details about the knowledge of UK freelancers!

Only 8% of those who participated scored the top marks and achieved a ‘Grandmaster’ status, with 32% at a high mark and ‘Ninja’ status. Nearly half of the freelancers (49%) who took the quiz were mid-way at ‘Apprentice’ level, and quite a high number (11%) were only ‘Novices’. The quiz, designed to raise awareness about freelancing is still available to take part in (or re-take!) through the ICS website.

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

As part of the celebrations, the PCG who launched National Freelancers Day two years ago will be holding a number of events, ranging from a Freelance Lecture to a series of webinars. Companies across the UK may also be holding their own events to celebrate the day.

Our Managing Director, John Lyon, will be attending the Freelance Lecture in London today so if you are attending please introduce yourself. The lecture will feature leading experts discussing flexible working and workforce trends.

As part of the build up, the PCG launched a ‘Fit to Freelance Quiz’. With some tough questions, it tested just how much people knew about contractors, the way they work and the issues they face. You can test yourself by clicking here.

Freelancers were given a ringing endorsement by the Prime Minister David Cameron who said:

“I have a huge respect for all those who make the brave decision to branch out on their own and take control over the way they work.

This Government recognises the valuable contribution that freelancers make to the economy and, as more and more people choose to join your ranks, you have all our support.”

Stay connected with National Freelancers Day and the events today by liking their Facebook page or following #NFD23NOV on Twitter.

Hip Hip Hooray!

ICS supports freelancers, contractors and consultants by providing them with compliant payroll solutions. Led by our three guiding principles; trust, care and compliance, we help contractors focus on their strengths and enjoy stress free contracting. 

The short quiz consists of 9 questions all about freelancing. It covers IR35, VAT, expenses and much more. It is a useful tool for freelancers and contractors, but also anyone involved with them. ICS fully supports National Freelancers Day and you can take the quiz by clicking here.

Our Managing Director, John Lyon, will also be attending the Freelance Lecture in London on 23^rd November. The lecture will feature leading experts discussing flexible working and workforce trends. You can find out more here.

National Freelancers Day is in its third year and year on year it has reached out to more people. Last year the message reached over 1 million people and supporters included Prime Minister David Cameron. You can stay connected with National Freelancers Day by liking their Facebook page or following #NFD23NOV on Twitter.

Take the quiz and find out just how much you know about freelancing!

Speaking about the launch of the 80 page e-book, PCG Managing Director John Brazier said that the guide was a “must read for all freelancers”. He continued;

“It is the culmination of 10 years of problem finding and solving from everyone associated with PCG. Through our forums, members, associates and advisors this combines thousands of years of freelancing wisdom.”

“As a business support organisation we are asked these key questions daily and we have constantly challenged ourselves on the right information to give out. With this guide we have done the ground work so that freelancers can get on working with their clients.”

The PCG are planning a number of activities and events to celebrate National Freelancers Day, including on online quiz titled “fit-to-freelance?” ICS will once again be supporting the event in conjunction with the PCG, so keep an eye on our blog for more details.

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

Last year’s event featured praise for freelancers from the likes of James Bellini as well as Prime Minister David Cameron. ICS have supported the day in the past and will continue to do so this year. Despite a recent drop in contract jobs, this community is still vital in the helping the future growth of the UK economy.

The PCGs John Brazier, who has been key in organising the event, spoke about celebrating and publicising the growing importance of the freelance community. He said;

“Our priority is to build on the success of our previous events. This means in one aspect continuing the celebration of the amazing work of the 1.4 million freelancers in the UK, but on the other we are calling on businesses, agencies and associations across all sectors in the UK to help define and prove that Freelancing is the X Factor of UK industry. Together we can ensure freelancing gets the recognition it deserves.”

At a time when unemployment is still an issue and the private sector is struggling to fully take up the full extent of the public sector losses, it is seen to be important to highlight the flexibility and skills that contractors and freelancers offer.

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

He said, “The spectre of redundancies, public sector cut backs and financial uncertainty will cause many to welcome in the New Year with a degree of trepidation, but I believe that if there is one sector of our community ready for the challenges ahead it is the UK’s growing freelance community”

“By their very nature this is a skilled, resourceful and flexible group able to adapt quickly to the needs of clients. This acceptance that freelancers and contractors play a growing and influential role in our economy was underlined by the recent PCG poll carried out by ComRes.”

He spoke about Prime Minister David Cameron’s supportive words to freelance workers, in a letter to the PCG on National Freelancers Day, in which Cameron stressed the importance of this workforce to the economy.

Mr Brazier also highlighted the PCG’s work with the Office of Tax Simplification, which is reviewing small business tax including IR35, as part of their aim to ensure a ‘fairer and more transparent tax system’.

ICS would again like to take the opportunity to thank all our clients and followers for a great year, and offer our support for the next 12 months.

ICS are one of the leading contractor accountants and administration companies and have helped thousands of contractors working in a range of industry sectors. You can contact us now for a tailored proposal based on your individual circumstances as a contractor.

We also held a competition to support National Freelancers Day, with any new clients signing up in the last month entered into a draw for a £200 Red Letter Days voucher. So we are delighted to announce the winner is Jeremy T. from Milton Keynes.

We would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the Festive Referral Scheme and for those who helped us support National Freelancers Day! We will be in contact with the prize winners shortly to arrange their prizes.

With the profile of contractors highlighted recently, such as through last weeks National Freelancers Day, a number of groups have also seen encouraging results in the amount of jobs available.

Jobsadwatch.co.uk found that IT contract vacancies increased by 23.3% and the IT sector has seen three consecutive quarters of growth. These figures, from the October 2010 quarterly survey, are promising for the IT sector, although it found that IT vacancies are only at half that the level they were pre-recession. The Monster Employment Index also saw a sharp increase in October. Online contract opportunities improved across a number of core contracting sectors, including IT and engineering.

However, Jeff Brooks, who is the chairman of the RECs IT sector group, believes that the public sector is still reluctant to increase IT contracts. He said, “There is uncertainty [in] the public sector. It is not recruiting IT contractors in any volume whatsoever; many have been let go ahead of term. We also do not see any signs of upward pressure on [public or private] IT contractor pay rates.”

Despite this he still urges IT contractors to persevere.

“Overall, IT recruiters have had a much better year in 2010 than in the previous two, and expect demand to hold up next year without heading towards any sort of boom.”

Now, more groups are stressing the role of these workers. The REC have once again called for the government to consider temporary staff, and to look at their benefits, rather than continuing to cut them. Their director of policy, Tom Hadley, said;

“The reality is that agency staff are often highly trained professionals providing specialised skills and making a huge contribution to front line services. Private sector organisations are increasingly recognising the benefits that temporary staff provide. Agency work is a core element of most cost-effective resourcing strategies but is still too often seen within the public sector as an unnecessary cost that can easily be cut.”

A number of recent polls have also shown that more businesses are starting to realise the value that freelance workers can provide.

A PCG study, conducted through ComRes, found that 60% of the 668 business leaders they spoke to said they would struggle to function without freelance workers. As well, 55% of them believe that freelancers are “essential” for growth in the UK economy. A separate study by PeoplePerHour.com also found that 80% of private sector businesses turned to temporary staff rather than new permanent hires in the last year.

ICS support National Freelancers Day, and believe that it is a brilliant way to highlight the important role of UK contractors. We are currently running a promotion to celebrate the day, with more details on our website here.

Dr James Bellini, the leading futurologist, gave a lecture on the Freelance Revolution.  He spoke about the new generation of freelancers, and how many companies worldwide are now viewing this workforce as the way forward for the future.

He believes that there are actually around 4m people who work as freelancers, a number which he expects to “grow very strongly in years to come” and probably double in the next 10 years.

He said, “We’re moving into a new age where technology is making it increasingly possible for us to work wherever we like. We will increasingly choose to work that way.” He also backed freelancing as a “new leaner model way of doing business” which is due to freelancers who are doing a good job, and will lead to fewer fixed placed employees in the future.

Bellini also spoke of what he calls ‘the great transition’, referring to the increased use of freelancers and the affect it has on transforming things such as the tax system. He said that part of the transition was to get the Government to show some recognition to the freelance community, and so he thought it was great news that David Cameron has publically given his support.

You can listen to the full lecture and other speakers from the event here.

Damian Reece, who also spoke at the event on Tuesday, supported Bellini’s views. In the Telegraph he spoke about how he felt the Labour government viewed freelancers as an inconvenience, and tried to combat them by bringing in legislation such as IR35. However he too was pleased that “David Cameron on Tuesday made clear that freelance workers are a mainstream feature of a flexible labour market.”

ICS are celebrating the success of National Freelancers Day with an exclusive giveaway on our website. Click here for more information.