Recruiters ‘fail to account for contracting success’

Many recruitment consultants are not aware how contracting has developed and gained popularity in recent years, claims a new study.

Research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) in the run-up to last week’s general election found a lack of consultants who could appreciate contracting as a viable career path.

REC polled 1,150 people in the five weeks before the vote and found four in ten were unable to say how many people work on a contracted or freelance basis – despite 36 per cent of the UK workforce doing so at some point in their working lives.

Tom Hadley, director of policy at the REC, said: “This suggests there is a way to go to make people aware of some of the realities of the UK jobs market and to provide context for the debates around jobs that we see play out among politicians and in the media.”

“The REC looks forward to working with the government to increase employment and progression within work.”

REC’s report also found that many were unaware of the main political parties’ policies on jobs and related issues, with some people failing to correctly identify key manifesto aims surrounding workers’ rights and pay rates.