Five reasons to hire an IT contractor
Before you make the decision to hire an IT contractor or permanent staff member to fill your vacancy, you should establish and understand your business expectations – both short and long term. We are here to help you figure it out!
The question is, why should a company hire a contractor?
- Cost effective
Although contractors may have a higher hourly rate than a permanent member of staff, they tend to save money for the business in the long run.
The overhead costs of a contractor are without a doubt lower than a permanent employee. This is because they are self-employed and look after their own compliance, for example they pay their own tax, pension contributions and national insurance. They are also not entitled to holiday or sick pay.
A usual contract is short term, which means companies will not be required to support career development or pay for training – which is just another way of saving extra £££.
- Highly skilled
Although you could say that every candidate should have the relevant skills for the job, it is proven that contractors are expected to not only jump into a project headfirst without the need for training but should also bring a high level of IT knowledge and skill to the table with fast-turnaround – they are being paid by the hour after all!
Contractors are not frightened of disturbing the peace, and this may actually be a good thing if you’re looking to get a job done right, fast. As a contractor’s contract term is pre-determined, they will not be worried about spending time building long term relationships with staff and will provide honest advice and expertise regarding business changes that would make a positive impact going forward.
- Less risk
There is less room for error with hiring a contractor. It gives you time to try before you buy and decide if the person you have hired is the right fit for the role, without the long-term commitment.
Although it doesn’t always happen, we have seen contractors and businesses come to a mutual agreement and end up working together on a permanent basis.
- Short term solution
You may be looking for temporary cover for an existing staff member, perhaps for maternity or sick leave. By hiring a contractor, you’re able to get a quick fix – in our case within approximately 3.6 days, all whilst keeping seats warm for when your permanent employee returns.
- Manage business uncertainty
If your business is suffering from financial or workload uncertainty, you should be prioritising contract work. Having a on/off resource like a contractor allows for flexibility and any changes of the business model. It also reduces internal redundancies, which is good for both parties.
We can conclude from this that there is a time and place for both contract and permanent work – we hope that we helped simplify the decision.
If you would like to discuss your options with one of our contract recruiters, then please get in touch today!
