A national advertising campaign highlighting Britain’s Brain Gain has been launched, spotlighting the rich talent pool amongst the UK’s 1.4 million freelance workers and highlighting their £82 billion contribution to our economic output.
The newspaper campaign and the Britain’s Brain Gain website reflects on the ability, imagination and effectiveness of freelance workers throughout the UK.
As electioneering and policy pledges seem to have started in earnest the PCG, the representative body for freelancers, contractors and consultants in the UK, is marking the New Year by calling on Government and policy framers to take a fresh approach to freelancing at the start of a new decade.
Download the Freelancers Manifesto
Monday marked the first ever National Freelancers Day with a series of events hosted by the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) up and down the country.
Freelance Advisor, Crunch and Freelancer Mortgages Made Easy hosted an event in Brighton with over 50 freelancers and it was a fantastic success.
National Freelancer Day videos are also now available to view online.
“Bigger is dumber…..” according to Sir Tom Farmer, founder of Kwik-Fit. Along with several other business leaders, Sir Tom has come out in support of tapping into freelancers’ talents as the country strives to get back on its feet over the next decade and beyond.
Via NationalFreelancersDay.org
As we approach ‘National Freelancers Day’ Freelance Advisor has created a new ‘Future of Freelancing’ section to focus on debate about the the biggest opportunities and threats to freelancing and contracting.
What does the recession mean to us? Do we get the help we deserve from the government? How important are we to the economy’s recovery? What is the role of technology in the future?
You may have heard that 23rd November is National Freelancers Day. The aim of the day is to gain wider recognition for the contribution that Freelancers, consultants, interims and contractors make to the UK economy.
We’re helping the PCG promote the day as their support for freelancers and lobbying for all of our interests in Parliament is vital.
Help the cause by completing our Freelancer survey
Michael Rose | Financial & Insurance, News
This week the FSA chief executive Hector Sants outlined a radical shake-up in the mortgage market. The new proposals by The Financial Services Authority (FSA) include a ban on all Self-Certification Mortgages.
This is potentially worrying news for Freelancers and Contractors as Self Certification Mortgages were designed for workers who have trouble proving their income in a conventional manner such as freelancers, contractors, self employed, and company directors but Ian Burrows at Freelancer Mortgages Made easy actually welcomes the news…
PCG, the representative body for freelancers, contractors and consultants in the UK, has launched its ‘Spirit of freelancing’ campaign to capture thoughts and ideas from freelancers in the run up to Monday 23rd November, National Freelancers Day.
PCG is urging its members and other freelancers to get involved and send PCG their views on what freelancing is all about, what it means to them and how they would define it.
Read on for details on how you can get involved.
Michael Rose | Accountancy & Tax, News
The specialist freelancer and contractor-focused accountancy world is hotting up as Crunch continues to cause ripples in the sector.
It’s been a busy month for Crunch with the news that the all-in-one online accountancy service has received investment from Bebo co-founder Paul Birch and Skype chairman Michael van Swaaij. Combined with news of an award for [...]
Today we are pleased to announce that Freelance Advisor have teamed up with employment specialists Workline UK to bring you essential, free-advice on employment and contract topics.
November 23rd, a date for your diary. Why? Because it is a day of recognition for the contribution that freelancers and contractors make to UK economy, a day to be proud of who you are and what you do. To help mark the day the PCG have launched a dedicated National Freelancers Day website.
Whether you are looking for a job or just some advice on how to run your business the UK Freelance Forum is here to help.
Read on to register…
You may have noticed that this week we’ve added Facebook Connect, Twitter and OpenID logins to Freelance Advisor.
This is part of our plans to energize the FA community and create a trusted network of Freelance Advisors who can help each other with the questions, queries, advice and collaboration.
We’ve opted for the DisQus commenting system as [...]
Michael Rose | Accountancy & Tax, News
The PCG, the association that represents freelancers and contractors in the UK, has revealed the exact amount of money raised by the Government’s IR35 tax regulation rules.
Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act to HMRC, asking just how much tax revenue IR35 raises for the exchequer, PCG have found that between tax years 2002/03 and 2007/08, IR35 directly raised just £9.2 million. This equates to an average of around only £1.5 million per tax year – a tiny sum in Governmental terms.
Emma Jones | Managing business, News
In best-selling book ‘The Long Tail’ author Chris Anderson says the future of business does not lie in blockbuster hits but in niche products. Home businesses up and down the land are testimony to this. Emma Jones looks at why niche is good and showcases a few shining examples.
Brighton and Hove-based freelancers have the opportunity to attend free events aimed at helping small businesses survive the economic downturn.
The Business Lifebelt events have been developed in partnership with Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce and Business Link Sussex to provide relevant advice to businesses operating in the area.
Having a supportive spouse can be the key to a business’ success or failure, new research has found.
The research, by Bibby Financial Services, found that 38 per cent of spouses believed their partner working weekends was acceptable when running a business, and 44 per cent believed working late nights was also acceptable.
Xchangeteam Crowns PR & Communications Consultant Freelancer of the Year
Freelance Design consultant, Anna Cowie, has been named Freelancer of the Year for 2008 by leading recruiter Xchangeteam. Anna beat more than 300 entrants and 45 finalists to take the overall title, having been victorious in the Design category, sponsored by Design Week, earlier in [...]
Small businesses in the UK are unhappy with the support they are receiving from the government, a poll has revealed.
The poll of 4,000 small traders and freelancers by the Federation of Small Businesses revealed the traders believe the Government’s efforts to stimulate the economy had so far made no impact.
Kasey Brunt | Managing business, News
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has released a series of online video guides to help businesses and start-ups understand their tax requirements.
The guides cover a variety of topics, including VAT, corporation tax and PAYE.
They also cover areas such as importing and exporting, keeping accurate records, and things to consider when employing other people.
Presenter Dan Snow [...]
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has launched a guide to help businesses plan downturn survival strategies.
The “Eight ways to survive the downturn” guide, which can be downloaded at www.icaew.com, aims to provide businesses with practical help and topics to help them through the credit crunch.
The guide includes information on managing [...]
A leading business organisation says small firms are still having trouble accessing finance, despite Government lending guarantees.
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) says its members have reported they are still unable to access finance from banks, despite the Government implementing schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, designed to help small businesses access bank loans.
“These [...]
Small businesses go green Small businesses are ‘going green’ in a bid to save costs, an expert says. Erica Russell, a sustainable business advisor from Business Link, said many small companies were adopting recycling methods and using low-energy applications in an effort to cut down on costs.
“When switching off your lights could save you between 18 [...]
Government unveils plan to help small business’ cash flow problems THE British Government will guarantee up to £20bn in loans to UK small businesses to help them manage cash flow problems in the current economic downturn.
Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson unveiled his “real help for small to medium businesses” plan this week, saying its aim was [...]
FEMALE business owners remain optimistic despite the economic crisis, a survey has revealed.
The business risk survey, undertaken by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, found 58 per cent of female business owners believe their business will grow in 2009.
And 13 per cent said they would take their business to an international level in 2009.
The survey [...]
Kasey Brunt | Lifestyle & Time out, News
Media freelancers are being urged to take a wellbeing survey from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The NUJ survey aims to assess the well-being of freelance journalists based in the UK. Those who take part in the online survey will be asked questions about their work, and how their job affects their social life and [...]
Freelancer News: by freelance news journalist Kasey Brunt Help needed for small software contractors, says report A GOVERNMENT system should be simplified to help out smaller businesses, a report has found.
The joint Intellect and the British Computer Society report has recommended the government procurement system allowing software firms to apply for public-sector contracts be made to favour [...]
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