A survey by Hays Information Technology found that both permanent and contract IT staff were closely scrutinising any roles they were offered much more closely than ever before accepting them.

Factors such as the availability of training, benefits and career development were cited as some of the main aspects searched for by IT contractors.

Basic salary was pointed out as the most important factor in IT roles by 80 per cent of respondents, followed by interesting and challenging work which was cited by 79 per cent.

Richard Horrocks, director of IT contracting at Hays IT, said: "Candidates are naturally more cautious and less inclined to change jobs, so will be scrutinising remuneration and benefits, job security and enhanced career prospects more closely."

Tom Hadley, director of external affairs at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, recently claimed there was a rise in short-term temping which could offer opportunities for many jobseekers.

In the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) annual Absence Management Survey it shows that absence in the private sector ahs dropped from 7.2 days to 6.4 days per employee each year.

This is compared to 9.7 days in the public sector, down from 9.8 days the previous year.

Some 20 per cent of people in the private sector claimed they were less likely to take time off work sick due to fears over job security.

Ben Willmott, senior public policy adviser at the CIPD, said: "It appears that the recession has contributed to a fall in the overall level of employee absence, with private sector absence levels at the lowest levels ever recorded by the survey."

The Trades Union Congress recently said that employers should do all they can to help make workers comfortable during a period of heatwave.

In a poll of Professional Contractors Group (PCG) members conducted by ComRes, just four per cent of respondents claimed HMRC is transparent – raising concerns about the role it plays in tax calculation and IR35 investigations.

Also, just 17 per cent of survey respondents said HMRC offered competent advice, a further damning verdict from professionals working in the freelance sector.

Commenting on the findings, John Brazier, managing director of the PCG, said the negative opinion of HMRC by members was "a real cause for concern".

He added: "It is a real shame that we cannot have a tax authority that respects the needs of the UK's smallest businesses and in turn wins the respect of freelancers throughout the UK.

"These figures highlight major problems with the way in which freelancers are treated. Legitimate freelancers find it difficult to seek reliable, useful advice from HMRC on how they run their businesses and instead find themselves under suspicion at every turn."

Last month, junior treasury minister Kitty Usher refused to reveal in parliament the number of HMRC IR35 investigations which have resulted in prosecutions over the last five years, generating further criticism from the PCG.

More than nine out of ten members of the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) said they would be more likely to vote for a party that includes the abolition of managed services legislation in its manifesto.

This is because they see IR35 as being complex, unfair and restrictive to the trade of self-employed professionals, it is claimed.

PCG managing director John Brazier stated: "This confirms just how damaging IR35 has been. As the parties draw up their manifestos, they cannot fail to take note of this level of discord.

"IR35 is a restrictive, unworkable, and unfair regulation and it's high time for a fairer taxation system to be developed for freelancers."

The PCG has been campaigning for the abolition of IR35 since it was introduced by the then chancellor Gordon Brown in 1999.

Some 2.38 million people are now out of work, 281,000 more than the number in the three months to February.

Commenting on the figures, Katja Hall, director of employment policy at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said the hefty rise reflected the tough climate businesses face.

She added: "Sadly, more and more jobs will be lost in this difficult recession and we expect unemployment to peak at three million next spring.

"Businesses and staff are doing their utmost to protect jobs, and in many firms we have seen a spirit of flexibility around pay and hours to try to limit redundancies."

With Tom Hadley, director of external affairs at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, claiming that signs of life are being seen in the temporary jobs market, contractors may be hopeful of a reduction in the jobless rate over the coming quarter.

Tom Hadley, director of external affairs at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), said a rise in short-term temping placements meant that work does exist for many jobseekers, even if it is not particularly high-skilled.

He suggested that taking a temporary job through a recruitment agency could potentially open the door to other opportunities.

Mr Hadley added: "A lot of people do see the benefit of staying in the labour market and we are starting to see slightly more opportunities in terms of temp jobs, which can lead to other things."

Last week, Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, claimed that highly skilled contractors are now in higher demand than in previous months.

An increasing number of recuriters were reporting a rise in the demand for temporary workers, he noted.

Speaking on the day the government launched its Building a society for all ages report, Tom Hadley, the REC's director of external relations, said a flexible labour market which allows people to work "on their own terms" is needed.

In particular, he noted, older professionals who are perhaps beyond retirement age should be catered for in this market.

Mr Hadley said: "We find that more people temp either when they are young, entering the jobs market for the first time, or as they plan their retirement.

"Temporary and interim posts allow workers to share their experience with the next generation without having to commit to long hours or sometimes the line management responsibilities which go with full-time work."

Last month, Kevin Green, chief executive of the REC, called on UK recruiters to do all they can to reduce the UK's unemployment rate.

According to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), ministers have "indicated a readiness" to seriously consider a blanket exclusion for professional level temporary workers under the directive.

APSCo said that this is vital given that the high wage demands of umbrella contractors and other skilled professionals could dissuade recruiters from finding them work once they are entitled to the same employment benefits as permanent staff.

The association noted: "It is quite clear from the consultation process underway that BERR is minded to put significant swathes of the temporary worker market outside this legislation.

"There will be plenty of scope for end users to minimise the impact this legislation has on their flexible staffing costs."

From 2011, umbrella contractors will be subject to the terms of the Agency Workers Directive once they have worked on a single placement for 12 weeks.

Contract Eye explains that the state of the contracting market in a particular sector and the demand for specific skills in any one locality are key points to consider.

In addition, the level of experience an umbrella contractor has, their ability to negotiate with a client user and their desire to take on the role will also have a bearing on any pay agreement, it adds.

Contract Eye states: "Your ability to negotiate is based on factors you can't control (particularly market conditions) and factors you can influence (such as your personal skills, and how 'in demand' you are as a contractor).

"Whether you are looking for your first contract role, or you are a veteran contractor, calculating your bargaining power at any given time, for any role, is perhaps the most important non-technical skill to develop."

Earlier this month, the website explained that freelancers who seek work placements via an umbrella company have employee expenses arranged on their behalf.

Tom Hadley, director of external relations at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said that while degrees show a certain level of academic achievement, they are almost seen as "a given" for certain roles and may not be enough even to secure an interview.

He suggested that having a variety of skills and experience are what separates the top candidates from the rest of the pack.

Mr Hadley added: "In the main, there is a lot of people coming out of universities with very broad degrees which in themselves aren’t really going to make an employer go: 'Wow, I really need to recruit this person'.

"It all comes back down to trying to be pro-active and building a CV from an early age which is quite difficult."

Last week, commentator Hannah Keep wrote Freelance Advisor that making a good impression at the interview stage is imperative for all contractor placement applicants.

Writing for Contractor UK, Bauer & Cottrell partner Kate Cottrell said it was increasingly common for client users and indeed employers in general to conduct background checking before adding professionals to the wage bill, whether on a freelance, temporary or permanent basis.

She explained that "everyone is checking everyone else" just to protect themselves and recruitment agencies may have no choice other than to undertake such processes before agreeing placements.

Consequently, the fact that checks are conducted should not have a presumed impact on the relationship between client user and contractor, relevant for IR35 status purposes, Ms Cottrell noted.

She added: "IR35 is, after all, about the terms and conditions of the relationship with the end client, so in the scheme of things the checks made before by a third party have no real impact on this."

IR35 legislation was introduced in 1999 in a bid to prevent employees using intermediaries to circumnavigate PAYE and National Insurance Contributions.

Gary Sharp, a board member at the Professional Contractors Group (PCG), was speaking out about the controversial intermediaries' legislation which imposes higher tax tariffs on umbrella contractors and other freelancers who are deemed not to meet the HM Revenue & Customs definition of self-employment.

He was critical of the government for refusing to reveal how many tax calculation errors have been made by freelancers during the last five years, as proven by investigations.

Mr Sharp commented: "The government has never previously stated that information on the financial details of IR35 would encourage people to ignore it - this is a new development.

"No-one in PCG would ever suggest anyone breaks the law. It is frequently misapplied and if you are paying, we could well surmise...that you could be in a minority."

Earlier this year, MP Lorely Bert lodged an Early Day Motion calling for IR35 to be scrapped, supported by the Professional Contractors Group.

When questioned in the House of Commons on the matter on June 15th, the since-resigned junior treasury minister Kitty Usher said disclosure of HM Revenue and Customs' compliance data relating to IR35 legislation would result in an increased risk of non- compliance.

Consequently, she said she was unable to provide the figures requested by Labour MP Terry Rooney, member for Bradford North.

The PCG has responded by saying it is "not in the public interest" that the effectiveness of tax legislation "should be shrouded in a veil of secrecy".

A statement on the PCG website read: "PCG suspect that Miss Ussher gave the answer she did because the full truth would expose IR35 to further ridicule, following on from PCG's revelation that based on HMRC's own data obtained by PCG under a Freedom of Information request, IR35 brings in only £1.5m per financial year."

IR35 legislation was introduced in 1999 to counter the avoidance of employed levels of tax and national insurance by individuals providing services through intermediaries.

According to the June Glenigan Index, there has been a rise in educational, health and social housing projects starting, cutting the year-on-year decline to 20 per cent and potentially creating work for umbrella contractors working in construction.

The firm has forecast an overall stabilisation in project starts during the second half of the year, albeit at a low level, with Scotland and Northern Ireland bucking the trend especially thanks to increases in public sector work.

Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said some of the banks were increasingly willing to lend on private finance initiatives in particular.

"Housebuilders seem to be a little bit more cheery but its all relative, they're still not talking about mass developments again," he noted.

The Construction Products Association recently predicted that no significant increase in construction output will be seen until 2012.

Contract Eye says individuals searching for their first placement typically use agencies, recommendations from other freelancers and contractor job boards to secure a paid role.

In a constrained market, contractors may find using recruitment agencies a particularly attractive option as this may help match the specialist skills on offer to a suitable role.

Once a contractor has been successful at the interview stage, Contract Eye explains it is necessary to negotiate a contract, detailing the terms of employment and rate to be paid.

"At this stage, you should consider contacting an IR35 specialist to help you comply with the notorious IR35 tax rules, and help ensure that the wording of your contracts and working conditions keep you outside the legislation," the website advises.

John Brazier, managing director of the Professional Contractors Group, recently urged contractors to assess what their best route to the market is.

Writing in his PCG blog, he said contractors can find placements off their own back or use recruitment agencies to ease the process.