Despite publication elsewhere of data indicating that the numbers of contract vacancies are in decline (see below), Outside Spy can happily report that the number of Outside IR35 published vacancies in IT have been holding remarkably steady.

In fact, over the last 6 week period to October 20th, numbers of published vacancies across the web has remained fixed in the range of 1050-1100 jobs each week. Prior to that, the number of roles was slightly higher in the post-August bank holiday period, and slightly lower during the bank holiday week itself.

So why are others reporting that contract numbers have fallen? Well most of the noise has been created by a report from members of the REC in their regular reporting, as picked up by ContractorUK and others.

It's important to understand that this report;
 - only includes data from REC members (which tend to be the larger agencies)
 - covers all areas of Contracting not just IT
 - doesn't include vacancies from direct hirers or smaller, independent agencies.

Taking a broader picture of the IT sector as Outside Spy does, reveals that the news of a fall in contract numbers is probably misleading, although we shall continue to monitor how the numbers continue to stack up, as we move closer to the festive season, and where contract numbers traditionally tend to fall away.

"IT contractor demand falls unexpectedly, erratically, into the red" on ContractorUK

Outside Spy specialises in finding and distributing all the IT Contracts that have been assessed and advertised as being “Outside IR35”, in one easy to navigate database. Non-subscribers can find a selection of roles on our website, whilst subscribers have full access to the database and unlimited email alerts, for a small monthly fee. Join Outside Spy