Number of female IT contractors in the UK at all-time high

Female self-employed IT professionals accounted for 16.5 per cent of the market in 2017

The number of female IT contractors is at a record high, according to accountancy firm Nixon Williams.

Research by Nixon Williams, based on data provided by the Office for National Statistics, showed that the number of female IT contractors in the UK jumped 24.6 per cent year on year in 2017, to 20,648.

The proportion of female IT contractors in the market was up to 16.5 per cent in 2017, compared with 13.8 per cent in 2016.

Derek Kelly, CEO of Nixon Williams, said: "The increase in the proportion of the IT workforce operating as contractors has been driven by demand from both IT professionals and the end users for their skills.

"The shift in the composition of the IT workforce since the financial crisis is doubly remarkable because much of the change is due to an influx of women into contracting."

"Contracting has always been regarded as riskier than employment, but that perception has changed with the emergence of the gig economy and the erosion of employee rights and benefits. Freelancing increasingly is seen as a career as much as a lifestyle choice.

"In areas which suffer from chronic skills shortages, such as IT and engineering, many contractors are rarely out of work, and higher levels of pay generally more than compensate for any gaps between contracts."

In 2017 the number of self-employed IT professionals in the UK rose 4.5 per cent year on year to 125,012, according to Nixon Williams.