UK – Contract Watch: Sopra Steria appointed to Crown Commercial Framework

Sopra Steria Recruitment, owned by Resource Solutions Group, announced that it has been awarded a place on Crown Commercial Service’s framework to provide temporary and fixed term staff to NHS contracting authorities along with various other UK public sector bodies.

This framework was launched as a...

Netherlands – DPA Group shows signs of recovery

DPA Group (DPA: NL), the Dutch staffing firm, reported revenue for the first six months of the year of €75.3 million, an increase of 4.2% on an organic basis when compared to the previous year.

Sweden – Wise Group second-quarter revenue flat, EBITDA sinks

Wise Group (WISE:SS), the Swedish staffing firm published preliminary results on Friday for the second quarter ending 30 June 2019 of SEK 240.4 million (€22.4 million), no change compared with the same quarter last year. 

Sweden – NetJobs revenue tumbles in Q2, hit by weak Germany and Sweden

Swedish job board NetJobs (NJOB: STO) reported revenue for the second quarter ending 30 June 2019 of SEK 5.4 million (€0.5 million), a decrease of 42% compared with the same period last year.

Finland – VMP finalises merger with Smile, announces leadership changes

VMP Plc, a Helsinki-based HR services firm, announced that it completed its merger with Smile Personnel Services, a Finnish human resources services firm, creating a powerhouse HR services firm.

Both companies first announced the merger in July 2019 and was completed as a share exchange, in which Smile’s...

UK – HMRC accuses GlaxoSmithKline contractors of IR35 offences

HMRC has accused approximately 1,500 contractors who are currently or previously engaged by UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline of IR35 non-compliance for the 2018/2019 tax year.

The contractors received letters from the HMRC stating that they were operating outside of IR35 during the tax year. IR35 legislation...

UK – Immigration for work at lowest level since 2013; REC cites need for post-Brexit strategy

Work-related immigration to the UK reached its lowest level since 2013, according to a report Thursday from the Office of National Statistics. And the Recruitment and Employment Confederation warned the numbers point to the need for a post-Brexit strategy for EU citizens in the UK as the lack of clarity...

UK – Government releases guidelines for intermediaries on IR35 off-payroll working rules

Guidelines covering “off-payroll working rules,” or IR35, and what it means for intermediary companies was released Thursday by HM Revenue and Customs.

IR35 is defined in Staffing Industry Analysts’ Lexicon as:

“UK intermediaries legislation designed to tax “disguised employment” at a rate...

Netherlands – Report says workers in flexible employment relationships earn 48% less per hour

Employees with flexible employment relationships earn on average 48% less per hour than employees with a permanent employment relationship, Statistics Netherlands reported.

It also found those with flexible work arrangements were younger and less educated than traditionally employed workers. And when...

Ireland – Number of agency workers falls by 11% in Q1

The number of agency workers in Ireland fell by 11.0% year over year in the first quarter, according to a report by Ireland’s Central Statistics Office.

In the first quarter, there were 50,400 agency workers compared to the first quarter of 2018 when there were 56,600 agency workers.

Overall, 2.6% of...