Companies under the freelance and Contract radar

It’s looking like another positive year for contractors and freelancers thanks to the unpredictable future of the UK economy. With employers cutting corners and not taking risks by recruiting permanent staff, freelance workers and contractors are being constantly depended upon to fill in the gaps well into 2011. According to REC’s 2011 report on jobs, similarly to 2010, construction demand is in the lead, taking over other sectors like engineering and I.T which are following closely behind.

With the UK on the mend after the recession, many abandoned projects have been dusted off and put back in motion; here I discuss companies that are making room for the most sought after freelancers and contractors right now and in the near future.

Construction company Skanska are taking a break from the spotlight with their transition from major projects such as London’s Gherkin, to UK housing development. Magnus Andersson, head of Skanska’s residential project said the unlikely venture was down to low land prices following the credit crunch. This is looking to be a major step for construction contractors looking towards getting involved with the house building market. Although using construction contractors in residential development hasn’t been overly popular in the past, Skanska promises to build communities that adopt the company’s effort to promote ‘greener living’ in addition to new homes. With renewable energy being a key factor in the venture, construction contractors are not the only ones to benefit. Engineering contractors are required to help complete this eco-friendly project also. Actual building is set to be in full swing in the new year, in the meantime Skanska’s is "recruiting heavily" according to Andersson.

Renewable energy is continuing to be a prominent sector for engineer contractors, with RWE at the forefront. There are currently 30 wind farm sites in development in the UK with an average budget of £200 million to be spent on each one. As well as the massive opportunities that RWE wind farms make available to global contractors, they constantly seek to benefit local economies by making use of local suppliers. Moreover, other renewable energy projects RWE are involved with could mean construction contractors could get in on the action. RWE’s UK nuclear generation project is estimated to accumulate over 5000 construction contracts over a 9 year period. Contractors trained in manufacturing are also to gain from the rise of renewable energy with alternative fuel exports increasing yearly.

The growth of alternative energy is not to be ignored by freelance professionals, especially right now when its receiving more global recognition than ever thanks to internet giant Google. The internationally recognised company has recently invested $280 million with Solar City, enabling the leading American based company to take residential projects to new heights. This partnership at the very least will provoke other potential investors to take notice of the benefits alternative energy can bring. Even better, it is probable that with the most influential companies in the world watching, renewable energy recruitment will continue to grow.

By 2012, the telecoms market is set to have increased by 7% from 2007 when the industry initially showed signs of growth. This figure may not seem substantial; however, the growth in demand for telecom contractors stood at 17% at the end of 2010, suggesting that the market as a whole is expanding in favour of contractors and freelance professionals, rather than permanent employees. Chinese telecoms company Huawei, based in Basingstoke, is working towards creating up to 1,500 contracting roles within the next three years. Main sectors within the telecommunication industry in the company’s agenda will be engineering and sales whilst also making room for graduate schemes to discover fresh talent.

Contractor and freelance vacancies are moving towards multi-sector platforms, renewable energy being the best example. New means of residential development and the rise of telecommunications are following suit by expanding their businesses through utilising a wider range of skills. These new developments mean that growth between contractor sectors may narrow, eventually bringing new opportunities to the freelance and contractor market as a whole in comparison to the dominance of the construction industry over the market.