More than half, or 60%, of UK contractors will soon be seeking roles outside of IR35 legislation, according to research from specialist insurance broker and IR35 consultancy Kingsbridge.

Kingsbridge’s survey of 1,600 independent professionals found that although the majority of contractors, or 90%, are currently on assignment, many will soon be looking for new opportunities.

While nearly 80% of contractors who have been determined to be ‘inside IR35’ are currently working via an umbrella, agency payroll or directly for the client, over half of this group plan to look for an ‘outside’ role in the coming months.

Meanwhile, over 40% of the group who have been determined ‘inside’ have increased their day rate by at least 10%, further suggesting that forcing genuine contractors to work on a payroll could be an expensive move with little reward.

Separately, recent research from Qdos found that the number of contractors in the UK who have worked outside IR35 following the roll out of reform in the private sector this year has surged by 83% since 6 April 2021.