Small firms increasingly rely on IT workers

Date: 21st October 2011

Small businesses around the UK are investing in IT in order to drive their companies forward.

That is according to a new study, which revealed a significant rise in the use of IT consultants among the country's smaller enterprises.

Data published by PeoplePerHour.com has shown that the number of small firms hiring IT consultants has increased by 144 per cent in the last 12 months

This means that 18,226 small enterprises now employ IT consultants - up from 7,457 in 2010.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, PeoplePerHour.com founder and chief executive officer, said it shows that despite the currently economic climate, businesses are confident in a return on investment from IT services.

"The jobs market is at a tipping point with freelancers set to play a more dominant role in the workplace over the next five years. The huge growth in small businesses employing highly-skilled IT consultants is firm evidence of this," he commented.

"Small businesses now realize that they have access to highly-skilled and affordable IT consultants without having to employ them full time, something which many small businesses find prohibitively expensive."

Posted by Thomas Fletcher