I’m not much of a political commentator, but I think most people in the west agree the government of Iran are something of an irresponsible and oppressive bunch. After cracking down on anti-Government protests at the beginning of the year, Iran has now “gone Nuclear” on its freelancers, and has blocked popular outsourcing website Freelancer.com.
A survey carried out by recruitment firm Hays has revealed that a third of staff are choosing to stay put rather than risk job security by moving on. The research was carried out on 1,795 adults and found that 33% were reluctant to change jobs in the current turbulent job market and planned to put off job hunting until the economy picked up.
UK companies have been warned to take control of employee’s social media usage in the workplace or risk facing reputation damage and security breaches. With the recent rapid increase in social media usage, it has been revealed that 51% of employees engage with sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn while at work.
Rachel Soothill | Getting a Job,Guides
Whether you have launched a new product, service or just have exciting business news to share, at some point you may need to write a press release in order to promote these developments. Like Marketing, PR is an essential tool in promoting your business and its key messages. However, unlike most Marketing initiatives PR is usually free and will often only require a good news story and a well written press release.
A while ago we published a piece asking if AOL’s questionable new content strategy would be good news for freelancers, as their demand for more copy went up. It would seem yesterday those questions were answered with a resounding “No.”
The UK Government has announced severe cuts today to Non-departmental public bodies (or Quangos), with thousands expected to lose their jobs across a range of sectors. Overall 192 Quangos will be abolished, with a further 289 due to be restructured and reformed. Luckily for those left out on a limb by the government, there’s never been a better time to go Freelance.
Chancellor George Osborne delivers his Emergency Budget on the 22nd June. But what will it mean for freelancers? Join the PCG for comprehensive and insightful analysis. What will the red box contain this time for freelancers, in an era of austerity and cuts?
PCG will be providing live coverage at http://twitter.com/insidepcg from noon.
PCG was established to fight the introduction of IR35, so today’s announcement that it is to be replaced will be welcomed by freelance workers throughout the UK.
In the Coalition’s full programme for Government, published today (20th May) the Government declares it will:
The commitment appears as the fourth of 20 priorities for improving the UK’s ability to do business.
Following an article on Contractor UK’s website last week “Scrapping IR35 is not the answer, say Tories,” PCG, the largest UK organisation representing freelancers and contractors, are remaining optimistic in their campaign to overturn the UK’s IR35 leglislation.
According to a PCG spokesman they have now had a series of “fruitful and productive” meetings with various political parties and they detect from all political sides “a desire for a revision of IR35 legislation”.
Research from The Open University Business School has revealed that only one in nine small firms (11%) are implementing post-recession recovery plans. These firms are also the most optimistic about their immediate prospects.
Some 15% of small firms are currently developing their post-recession recovery plans, but 23% do not see the need to bother as their existing plans are already working.
The PCG’s continued lobbying of Tory top-brass has finally paid off in a firm commitment to a review of IR35 legislation by a future Conservative government.
The Conservative Party made the landmark announcement today that IR35 will be reviewed as part of an overall review of small business taxation should they win the General Election in May.
In a letter today to Chris Bryce, PCG Chairman, the Shadow Business Minister, Mark Prisk MP said that due to PCG’s strong representations to him and to Shadow Treasury Ministers “a Conservative Government would undertake a fundamental review of small business taxation matters, including IR35.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Small business owners working from home should make sure they are claiming tax relief, an accounting firm says.
Target Chartered Accountants says business owners who work from home can claim several tax benefits, including mortgage interest.
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 | Getting a Job,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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Tax burden hurts small business HIGH taxes are hitting UK small businesses hard, new research has found. About 16 per cent of small business’ outgoings is spent on tax, according to financial business information firm Creditsafe. This means tax is the third biggest expense for most small businesses, freelancers and contractors, behind wages and investment [...]
Freelancers benefit from online social networking MORE and more freelancers are using social networking sites to promote their services, a survey has found. The BT Tradespace survey found 15 per cent of small businesses promote themselves on sites such as Facebook, compared to just seven per cent this time last year. But the survey also [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Congratualtions to the Farm Freelancer Award nominess Shortlisting has now been completed and Freelance Advisor, proud sponsors of this year’s Farm Freelance Award, would like to applaud these three fine freelancing nominees. This year’s shortlist is: Jonathan Aizlewood of Carbon Graffiti for his email design, marketing and web design services Sarah Bird of AnimNation for [...]
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