Recession is leading skilled workers into contracting

According to Contractor Calculator, professionals across numerous industries have been forced to change the way they work as the credit crunch continues.

Greater flexibility, freedom and security are just three of the reasons people are becoming contractors.

Dave Chaplin, editor in chief and chief executive officer at the contractor news website, said: "As the economic downturn has led to permanent employees being laid off in their hundreds of thousands, we've seen thousands taking up contracting as their next career move.

"Many who have previously thought about contracting and not taken the plunge, plus others who have never considered contracting as being for them, are finding that life as a contractor is not only better paid, but also a lot more enjoyable than being an employee."

But don't you need specialist qualifications to become a contractor? Not at all, says Chaplin: "To be a successful contractor you need a skill that clients will pay for, and to learn some basic contracting skills like sales, negotiation techniques and a little bit about contract law."

Chaplin, who in addition to being an online publisher for the contracting sector is a former City IT contractor and author of the new, critically acclaimed Contractors' Handbook, is seeing a whole generation of workers taking stock of their lives and work.

Workers typically choose the contracting lifestyle for a number of financial and lifestyle reasons. According to Chaplin, "Most contractors report the pleasure with which they leave behind all the office politics and career path pressures, and also say how much they enjoy being left to get on with what they are good at, whilst being very well paid to do it!"