Government is top user of IT contract staff

The government is now the biggest employer of freelance IT staff in the UK.

A survey of 2,500 freelance IT staff by supplier Giant Group reveals that the proportion of IT contractors working in the public sector has doubled to 27% in the past two years.

The financial sector comes second, employing 24% of IT contractors, up from 19% in 2003.

Of the IT contractors surveyed, 28% believe financial services will offer the most opportunities, with 21% favouring the public sector.

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Matthew Brown, managing director at Giant Group, warned that government employers must compete with City employers.

“If key IT staff are poached by the City, there could be serious consequences for the government’s IT agenda,” he said.