The rising emphasis on digitisation means that companies across all sectors are heavily focused on growing their technology talent pool. However, this demand for technology talent is driving up salaries and our Robert Half 2017 Salary Guide revealed that professionals skilled in business intelligence, agile project management, cloud and programming can expect to earn a premium.

What’s concerning for many businesses is that the situation risks getting worse before it gets better. More than half of respondents in a recent Tech Nation 2017 surveyhighlighted that many companies fear the skills shortage will be exacerbated post Brexit. With vacancies for digital roles outstripping the number of available candidates, organisations are increasingly looking to access talent from outside the UK by turning to oversees candidates. If the ability to access international talent becomes harder then it could drive salaries even higher and make the shortage of skills even more pronounced.

The combination of businesses increasingly embracing digital transformation but battling with a shortage of the right talent, means there has been a spike in demand for contract workers that can support strategic initiatives. As businesses have to adapt to the new realities of the labour market when looking for technology and digital talent,recent figures suggest that between 20 and 50 per cent of the UK workforce could be made up of freelancers by 2020.

Increasingly, we are seeing more people than ever choosing to work in contract positions. The latest UK employment figures from the Office of National Statistics reveal that one in seven workers are self-employed. Within the tech sector, 84% of recruitment bosses have seen an increase in demand for temporary or contract roles. 

Against this backdrop, one question becomes increasingly important – what can organisations do to recruit contract employees that can form the backbone of digital transformation projects?

Hiring contract professionals requires speed

You might not always have the right people internally to reposition and transform your business and hiring new talent needs to happen relatively quickly. However, while contract professionals are often brought in to support specific projects and offer a degree of flexibility, their growing demand can often see them line up their next opportunity quickly. Many firms could be missing out on qualified, specialist contract professionals when they rely on elongated hiring processes. Working with a specialist recruitment consultant is one way to move with speed as they can identify the best approach to attracting, vetting and selecting the best contract professional for your next hire.As the trend towards freelancing continues to evolve, it holds the potential to solve many HR issues currently faced by companies in the tech sector. Successful businesses will use this as an opportunity to not only meet demand and support strategic initiatives, but also to “up-skill” their existing workforce and bring about fresh thinking and positive change.