Businesses see contractors as "integral" to their operations, according to experts.

Gerry McLaughlin, of ITContractor.com, said there has been a shift in the way human rights departments view temporary workers.

He added that many IT contractors have come out of the recession relatively unscathed.

"There has been a sea change in attitude at companies where, instead of seeing contractors as a cost, they are seeing them as integral to their companies, and even the major financial institutions are holding onto them whilst shedding costs elsewhere," he said.

Meanwhile, experts at Badenoch & Clark, said that the transfer of knowledge from contractors will be key to the IT departments this year.

In addition, employers should put into place knowledge transfer so that when contractors leave their company they will not be taking the much-needed skills with them.

This comes after news that Dave Chaplin, chief executive officer of ContractorCalculator.co.uk, has said that the demand for contractors is decreasing as rising number of people opt for the lifestyle.