It seems like hardly a day goes by without some mention of the lack of access to niche skills that continues to plague employers. Companies have become riddled with skill gaps and don’t have the properly equipped people to eradicate the problem once and for all.
The most recent Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) JobsOutlook report found that an increasing number of companies are opening their doors to temporary workers, with 97% saying they intend to maintain or increase their use in the next quarter.
This is a great opportunity for contractors to gain some valuable experience and advance their career. However, expectations are high and interim workers will be required to tackle more complex projects as companies continue to be starved of talent.
To ensure you become the go-to contractor, you need to make the effort to maintain and advance your professional development.
We believe this is a crucial step to take as the REC report also found 79% of employers cited “short term access to key strategic skills” as the main and most important reason for taking on temporary workers.
As you can see, employers are confident that contractors will meet their criteria, so concentrating on keeping your skill set up-to-date, gaining a wide range of experience and constantly improving will aid you in becoming a more sought after candidate.
For more advice on the importance of professional development, check out our past blog post.
Have your say
Are you a contractor? Does continued development help you secure assignments? Join in the discussion on Twitter, or leave a comment below.
