My thoughts exactly. Some people seem to be reading this ruling as though no "tech company" could hire any "tech contractor". However, I read it: if a hypothetical company doesn't for example design databases as their bread and butter they could hire someone else to.

In the UK contractors tend to get hired as temporary stop gaps at a much higher rate than perms (like double).

Either to cover a need for a project that won't last long term or to fill the demand for more fingers on keyboards right now.

Is that not how the US uses them? Then again UK programmers seem to earn much less than US programmers. Outside London it's like £50k for a senior dev ($70k?).

I think 50k is London rate - outside 40+ would be a lot

Not these days, I'm constantly getting emails offering £45-50k for East Midlands jobs, up from £40-45k the year or two before. 4 years ago I got offered 3 jobs in the East Midlands at or close enough to £40k, with one having bonuses too.

You can go check on any job site, indeed, cwjobs, whatever. CWJobs claim the average is up to £62k for London now, and that's of all dev jobs, not just senior ones:

https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-csharp-devel...

Indeed. I simply wanted to highlight an effective and practical contractor.

Not so sure I disagree with CA overall.

How so? if you sign a contract for several month's as a plc your better off than a regular employee with only 2 weeks notice is easier to hire as they have no contract.

Yeah?

I think that, taken literally, I'd be 0/3 in the ABC system.

Employees can be terminated easily though, at will employment means any employee can be dismissed at any time with zero notice without cause.

Legally, but not socially. If a company eliminates contractors well the contract was over. If they eliminate employees that is bad for moral. (except for the rare employee who could be gotten rid of "for cause" in even the strictest system)