Top 7 Benefits of Hiring a Contractor

When you need to make a short-term hire, what’s one of the first solutions that come to mind? Do you stick to what you know and hire people on permanent contracts, or do you consider hiring a contractor? 

In 2022 the UK alone had over 2 million freelancers working across a vast range of sectors and contributing £125 billion to the economy. Contract hires can be an excellent alternative to permanent hires, a quick and efficient solution for helping you to overcome your short-term hiring challenges. To help you better understand the advantages of contract recruitment, we have created a list of our top seven benefits of hiring a contractor.

1. Broad Experience and Specific Skills

Interim professionals will specialise in a particular area of the industry. They will have a specific set of skills suited for your organisation's sector and the projects where you need support. With contract hire, you can take on an individual on a short-term basis to fill a specific skills gap within your team. This person can dive straight into the role, unlike a permanent employee who may not have the niche skills or experience needed to fulfil the job requirements without additional support or training.

Typically contractors will have more industry experience than most in permanent positions and will have worked in a fixed role early in their careers. Additionally, contract hires will have been contracting for a significant amount of time or at least established themselves as industry experts and will have gained experience across a broad range of businesses. Their vast knowledge and breadth of skills will allow them to have an immediate impact on your business. 

2. Temporary Cover Where You Need it

Regardless of the business or industry you operate in, there will be times when your permanent staff will be unavailable. Whether you have a permanent staff member away from work due to illness, annual leave, sabbatical or maternity, hiring a contractor to fill these short-term vacancies is an excellent solution. 

Additionally, suppose your employee will be away on maternity for the best part of a year, but you intend to bring them back once they are ready to return. In that case, hiring a contractor to cover for this individual is the ideal option as opposed to hiring a permanent hire - who you may not be able to guarantee a position by the end of the year. 

3. Trial Run Your Contract Hire 

Occasionally businesses end up making the wrong hire, whether it's because the talent wasn't capable of meeting the requirements you set or the role wasn't right for the individual. Additionally, having to go through a permanent hire's recruitment and onboarding process can be frustrating, only for them to be different from the ideal fit you thought they'd be. You can trial-run your latest addition when you hire a contractor. 

For example, instead of taking an individual on a long-term permanent contract, you could onboard a contractor on a three-month contract. This trial-run method is less of a risk for your business as it allows you to observe your interim hire on a short-term basis before you decide on their future with you. Then, at the end of the contract, you can either offer them a permanent contract, continue using them regularly or part ways with them without the fear of dismissing them as you would a permanent hire. 

4. Flexible Employment Contracts

Using an interim professional or contractor gives your organisation the added flexibility of how long to keep an individual as part of your business, which is more complex when hiring a permanent employee. For example, if you require a specific skill set to help complete a six-month project, then it makes sense to hire a contractor on a flexible six-month contract.

Flexible employment contracts also allow your business to pick and choose when you need an individual. For example, you could use a contractor for a certain project, and if you cannot take them on permanently despite them doing a great job. In that case, you can offer them a short-term contract whenever you require their skills for a specific task or project. 

5. Contract Recruitment is Cost Effective

One of the most significant benefits of hiring a contractor is cost-effectiveness. By their very definition, contractors and freelancers are a temporary resource for your organisation. Therefore they do not require the provision of a fixed annual salary and will not incur the associated costs of a permanent employee. 

These costs and expenses can include the following: