Coronavirus: IT professionals cite absence of federal government assistance during Covid-19 as source of stress

ContractorCalculator research study highlights the mental health toll the pandemic is taking on IT professionals

Caroline Donnelly

Caroline Donnelly,
Senior Editor, UK

Published: 06 Aug 2020 12: 09

The federal government’s response to Covid-19 is cited as a major source of tension for professionals, who explain the bundle of financial support it used throughout the break out as “insufficient and unhelpful”.

This remained in reaction to a series of concerns presented by contracting authority ContractorCalculator about the toll the pandemic has actually taken on the mental health and health and wellbeing of freelance workers, with many reporting concerns with finding work and late payments during lockdown.

The questions amassed actions from 1,036 participants, with 74.

The vast majority likewise identified themselves as IT workers (479%), while the rest said they primarily operate in engineering (129%), financial services (1207%), oil and gas (6.13%) or interim management functions (5.29%).

Of those questioned, 33.

Nearly half (48

Even so, 46.

This is on the back of customers freezing agreements, in the case of 39.87%respondents, and a significant downturn in the quantity of work coming their way in 40.92%of cases. An additional 6.68%said they had also experienced late payments from customers given that the beginning of Covid-19

When asked if the pandemic had “exacerbated” any pre-existing stress factors for respondents, the yes and no vote was a near even divided at 47.33%and 43.59%, respectively, however when asked if the pandemic had actually produced any new stress factors for individuals, 70.41%said yes.

Respondents were then asked to identify these new sources of tension, and 54.81%mentioned the federal government’s response to the pandemic as a significant stress factor, while 49.04%stated periods without work were causing them stress and anxiety.

Problems about the quantity of financial support made available by the federal government to the self- utilized have been repeatedly reported on by Computer Weekly throughout the pandemic, particularly where limited business contractors are worried.

Such professionals have actually been left out from receiving support, for example, from the government’s Self-Employed Income Assistance Scheme (SEISS), which was revealed in late March 2020

Some 74.

Restricted company professionals are qualified for support through the federal government’s Coronavirus Task Retention Plan, but there are limitations on how much they can claim if the bulk of their earnings is made up of dividends.

For all these reasons, trade bodies and contracting stakeholders have actually consistently called on the government, given that these support steps were revealed, to do more to support restricted business specialists through the crisis.

When asked in the poll if they thought the assistance made available by the federal government to the self-employed in reaction to the pandemic had been “adequate and valuable”, 77.3%of respondents stated no.

Somewhere Else, 69.35%of respondents stated they strongly disagreed with the declaration that the federal government’s response to the pandemic to date showed that it has the interests of the self-employed at heart.

Dave Chaplin, CEO of ContractorCalculator, said the study results emphasize just how much of a toll the pandemic has actually taken on contractors, who were– at the time it struck– currently grappling with the fallout from the now-delayed extension of the IR35 reforms to the private sector.

” Contractors have been greatly impacted by Covid-19 and many have serious concerns about their future,” he stated. “Federal government support for the self-employed has actually disappointed the mark, so it is little wonder that our survey sees 70%of specialists feeling stressed out.

” Self-confidence amongst the flexible workforce appears to be at an all-time low, at a time when the economy will be looking to those important contingent employees to underpin its healing.”

Chaplin included: “The off-payroll tax [IR35] integrated with Covid-19 has struck freelancers hard, but this durable workforce is remaining active and busy, which appears like a sound tactic to assist them navigate this challenging period.”

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