Leighton James

IR35 and Off-payroll: Your guide to who is actually responsible for what? One of the biggest challenges of IR35 is the widespread lack of awareness among those hiring contractors. The complexity of this legislation often leads to misunderstandings, putting businesses at risk of non-compliance and unexpected tax liabilities. This comprehensive guide simplifies the often-confusing aspects of IR35, providing clear instructions on who should be doing what. You'll gain insights into the critical areas of the legislation and learn how to apply them correctly to your business. 🔍 Key Takeaways: ✔ Understand the difference between IR35 and Off-payroll rules. ✔ Identify which part of the legislation applies to your business. ✔ Discover who is responsible for tax liabilities and status assessments. IR35 and Off-payroll rules coexist, making it essential to understand which rules apply to your specific situation. This guide breaks it down step-by-step, ensuring you can navigate these regulations with confidence. 1️⃣ Read the full guide today. 2️⃣ Book a free consultation if you'd like our expert help with your compliance! #IR35 #HR #HRnews #process #IR35assessment #IR35Compliance #Compliance #Consultation #Offpayroll #Offpayrollworking #Contractor

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💻 JavaScript hiring – a bit of insight into some industry trends 💻 LinkedIn is feeling a lot busier with JavaScript roles at the moment which is great to see.   Echoing Ben Clarfelt's point in his previous post the LinkedIn apply system is not the best. A word of advice is to always follow up with the hiring or talent manager via a message expressing your interest. It really helps you to stand out from the crowd. Yesterday I took a look at 50 JavaScript roles to see if anything stood out and there’s several things worth highlighting: 📊 78% of JavaScript roles were working with TypeScript 💻 There were only two junior roles. We’re seeing an emphasis on mid and senior roles 🤖 A significant number of roles (46%) mentioning a want for experience with AI, or a willingness to integrate it into your workflow On the seniority point, are we seeing a shift away from junior roles because companies can now automate a lot of tasks with AI? Total breakdown of seniority was: ⭐10% Lead and Principal roles ⭐56% Senior roles ⭐30% Mid roles ⭐4% Junior roles This was only a sample of the latest 50 roles posted in the UK so not a thorough breakdown of the market. It’s interesting to see some pretty clear trends though.

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Wondering how to get your job application noticed in the crowded UK dev market? I've been chatting with a lot of software developers recently, some early in their careers, others with years of experience, and one thing keeps coming up: "How do I actually stand out?" The truth is, the UK dev job market is tough right now. But I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t), and I wanted to share a few tips that have helped candidates land interviews, and offers. Here’s what I’d recommend if you’re applying right now: 1. Customise, customise, customise - I can’t stress this enough: tailor your CV and cover letter for every role. Show how your experience matches their needs. Make it super easy for someone to see why you're a great fit at a glance. 2. Build (and show) cool stuff - Your GitHub or personal site can speak louder than your CV. Share real projects, ideally something beyond a to-do list app. If you've used a company’s API or built something relevant to them? Shout about it! 3. Let your passion show - Make it clear what kind of work excites you, whether that’s fintech, AI, or clean architecture. Add a bit of personality to your LinkedIn or portfolio. It helps you connect with the right teams. 5. Network is your net-worth - Go to meet-ups, tech events, comment on posts, send friendly DMs. A lot of roles never get posted online. The more people who know what you’re looking for, the more chances you’ll get. 6. Stay sharp with in-demand skills - Keep an eye on what’s hot in the UK, Java, JavaScript, C#, and cloud stuff are still in demand. Even just having a recent course or project to show you’re staying current can help. 7. Don’t get discouraged - You’ll hear nothing back from some roles. That’s normal. If a job feels right but you haven’t heard back in a couple of weeks, follow up! It shows you're proactive, not pushy. 8. Make your online presence count - Your LinkedIn and GitHub should clearly show what you're about, your skills, interests, and what you’re aiming for. This is often the first thing someone sees before they even open your CV. - Final thought: If you’re applying right now, especially as a junior, just know it’s normal to feel stuck sometimes. The first job is often the hardest to get, but once you're in, everything gets easier. Keep going, keep building, keep learning. And if we’re connected, don’t hesitate to reach out. Always happy to offer a bit of advice or point you in the right direction. #SoftwareEngineering #TechCareers #UKJobs #DevCommunity #JobSearchTips #CareerAdvice #RecruiterLife #SoftwareDeveloper #HiringTechTalent

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One month back at OpusRS – here’s what I’m seeing in the JavaScript contract market. It’s been great to get stuck back in, and I’ve already noticed some clear trends across the UK JavaScript contract space. 🏢 Hybrid working is shifting. Fully remote roles are becoming less common, with more contracts now asking for 2–3 days a week in the office. Collaboration and team presence are making a comeback. 💬 Contractors who know how to add value and communicate clearly with clients are being consistently extended. It’s not just about technical ability—commercial awareness and soft skills are making a real difference. 📉 Rates have taken a hit compared to a few years ago, but demand is still strong for those who can hit the ground running. ⚙️ Next.js is gaining serious traction. While React remains dominant with 39.5% of developers using it, Next.js is quickly rising with 17.9% adoption—thanks to its performance benefits and built-in features like server-side rendering and static site generation If you're a contractor looking for your next move, or a business needing top JavaScript talent, I’d love to connect. #JavaScript #NextJS #ReactJS #Contracting #TechRecruitment #OpusRS

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💰 Software Developer Salaries in Wales – Aug 2025 Snapshot 💰 Thinking of hiring or making a move in tech? Here's a breakdown of what Software Developers and Engineers are earning across Wales right now: Interestingly, The Median Salary for Software Developers in Wales is £42,473 per year, showing a 5.88% increase from 2024, but compared to the national average Wales is still 13% below this! Salary Ranges based off major hiring spots in Wales are reported to be: Junior/Graduate level Software Developers - £28,000 – £35,000 Mid-Level Software Developers: £42,000 – £50,000 Senior Software Developers: £55,000 – £65,000+ Lead Software Developers: £65,000 - £80,000 Regional Highlights Wrexham: £53,933 Cardiff: £45,830 Swansea: £43,183 Newport: £37,730 Salaries are rising steadily, especially in Fintech, AI, and cybersecurity. With the increase in digital transformation and cloud migration in multiple public sector organisations this could also be the reason for an increase in Software Development resources. We are also finding that Hybrid and Remote roles are pushing compensation higher in competitive regions to compete with other areas of the UK. Whether you're benchmarking for hiring or planning your next move, drop me a DM for a more detailed 2025 Salary Bench-marking document 🙌. #recruitment #salaries #technology *Information is based off 153 adverts/salaries reported around 18th August 2025.

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Launch Group just published a blog that’s well worth a read 👇 AI is changing the game for software engineers, and not just at the senior level. Imogen Hough, our Senior Consultant for software engineering, shares what she’s hearing from clients: - They’re not asking for “typical” developers anymore. - They want engineers who bring system design, architecture, and judgment to the table. From my side, I’m seeing the same shift: ✨ AI literacy is becoming essential — even for juniors 💡 Problem-solving and initiative are standing out more than routine coding 📈 Continuous upskilling isn’t optional anymore If you’re hiring in tech or thinking about your next move as an engineer, this blog is a great pulse-check on where things are heading. Would love to hear your take, are you seeing this shift too? #LaunchRecruitment #SoftwareEngineering #AI #TechHiring #HiringTrends #Recruitment

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👻 Kiro 👻 has had a whole host of great new features recently. There are the really big ones like Skills support and the constant evolution with new models like Opus and Sonnet 4.6, but one of my favourites is ACP... The Agent Client Protocol lets you take advantage of one of the best coding assistants 💪 around and use the underlying agent in a variety of different clients. I've been exploring how you can take advantage of Kiro for use cases that aren't all about writing code 💻 and how you and your teams can all reap the benefits from its huge capability. I've got my latest post in the comments on some of my favourite new ways to use Kiro with ACP. Let me know what you think. 🚀 #kiro #genai #kirocli

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I’ve been getting a lot of messages lately from candidates struggling to find roles (or even secure interviews) the truth is hiring for developers in PHP and JavaScript isn’t as in-demand as it used to be. Here’s some advice from what I’ve found to date, hopefully it helps at least one person land that perfect role! 1. An obvious one for some, communication You know how to write code but in interviews, your ability to explain how and why you made certain technical choices is just as important. Ensure you're prepared to walk through your past work clear and confidently. 2. Personal Projects Matter When competition is tight, showing a GitHub repo or side project, especially one that solves a real problem can set you apart. Employers love to see initiative, not just job history. 3. Tailor your CV Generic CVs with little or no info are more likely to be ignored. As much as possible, tailor each one to the job description with the tech stack and focus on what outcome you achieved. 4. Technical tests I know tests can be annoying, but unfortunately, it’s pretty standard for most roles, practice explaining your logic as you go and don’t hesitate to ask extra questions for clarity. There are opportunities out there but they’re going to the developers who put that extra effort into the application, pairing strong code with communication. Hope this helps 👨‍💻

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After discovering what 'vibe coding' truly meant earlier this week, it got me thinking... How much of an impact will it have on the role of a Software Engineer? One concern that was shared amongst the leaders I spoke to was how much it will affect junior/mid-level engineers coming into the industry now. There's a chance that hey won't have had to do the 'manual' work when it comes to building a product, as they'll rely on Cursor or something similar to do that for them. Is that okay considering AI is here to stay? Or do engineers still need to have the fundamental knowledge of how to build & write the code themselves, instead of relying on AI prompts? Keen to hear people's thoughts on this! PS - anyone else think vibe coding was more like an engineer sat listening to lofi music in a room with LED lights? Just me? Guys?

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Seeing far fewer Frontend roles right now Spoke to an engineer yesterday who thinks this is partly due to how easy it is to prompt AI to generate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript using frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular Whats everyones thoughts? Surely this can't be the only reason for the decline in demand

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Over the past few years, I’ve seen a steady rise in demand for backend developers with Node.js experience. The reasons are clear: It scales effectively for high-traffic applications Teams benefit from using JavaScript across frontend and backend The ecosystem is vast, enabling faster development It’s a natural fit for real-time apps like chat, streaming, and collaboration tools For developers, this creates opportunities to work on innovative projects. For businesses, it provides the flexibility and scalability needed to stay competitive. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts: is Node.js becoming the standard for backend development, or just one strong option among many?

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Hiring software engineers in the UK - easier and cheaper at the moment? A call with a client this week that has not recruited for a while. The main questions they asked were whether people with in-demand skillsets, particularly software engineers, are more readily available in the current climate and if so, if they will accept lower salaries. No and no! (link to market data from IT Jobs Watch in the comments) 

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🎙️ “Landing your first dev job isn’t just about getting hired, it’s about finding the right environment to grow.” I recently filmed a podcast episode with Amber Wilson & in this clip, we talk about what really makes a difference for junior developers starting out: ✅ Supportive teams ✅ Access to mentors ✅ Environments that invest in your growth Whether it’s a start-up or a big corporate, the key is finding a place where someone takes ownership of helping you level up. Check out the full episode here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep9Bmbdk What do you think matters most for juniors in their first role? 👇 Share your thoughts in the comments! #TechCareers #JuniorDev #Hiring #SoftwareEngineering #Podcast

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“Don’t optimise early” is *right* for software But “don’t optimise ever”? Only if you want bigger bills and more expensive power I’m looking at 5 - controversial - ways software engineering could do better this week. Number 1 is “optimisation”. The maxim most people know is “Don’t optimise early!” And that’s right. Otherwise you’ll waste time and money almost all of the time. But “don’t optimise EVER”? A big mistake. These days, many people feel that it’s cheaper, easier, quicker (pick any you want) to just throw more cloud resources at a problem. And some application spaces, like LLM construction. often rely directly on pure brute force. (Honourable mention to all teams developing more cost-conscious approaches though!) Because - and this isn’t just about AI and LLMs - hugely increasing cloud usage and forecast usage is… ⚠️ driving up electricity prices [plus factors too, of course] ⚠️ creating water scarcity ⚠️ costing more money! What’s your take - is optimisation a thing of the past, or should it be growing in importance?

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