REC Responds to Spring Statement

 

Today the Chancellor delivered his first Spring Statement. Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) director of policy Tom Hadley comments:

“It’s encouraging that the government has so far not brought forward a consultation on IR35 in its Spring Statement. We hope that the government is instead focussing on a more holistic approach to employment status, tying into recommendations from the Matthew Taylor review.

“We’ve been saying for a long time that introducing changes to IR35 in the private sector would be premature, as the impact of the public sector changes is not yet fully known and there are still issues with implementation that need to be rectified. The majority of our members say it was implemented badly and the employment status for tax tool is still not up to scratch. These issues need to be rectified and we look forward to working with the government on this and continuing to represent the views of our industry. 

“The focus on education and skills, including additional funding for construction skills and T-level preparation, are welcome – especially in light of ongoing staff shortages picked up on in our monthly data.  We will continue to push for the Apprenticeship Levy to evolve into a broader training levy that recruiters can use to boost skills and progression of temporary and contract workers on their books.”

 

Ends 

 

Notes to editors:   

 

1. For more information, contact the REC Press Office on 0207 009 2157/2192 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. An ISDN line is available for interviews on 0207 021 0584.

 

2. Jobs transform lives, which is why we are building the best recruitment industry in the world. As the professional body for recruitment we’re determined to make businesses more successful by helping them secure the people they need. We are absolutely passionate and totally committed in this pursuit for recruiters, employers, and the people they hire. Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at www.rec.uk.com