Labour MP Andrew Miller on Monday urged IT/telecoms and engineering/technical recruiters to “keep your nerve” in the face of a deepening global financial crisis.

Speaking to Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo) members at a House of Commons reception, Miller said, “There is a determination across the parties to make sure Britain comes out as strongly as possible” from the the economic turmoil. “It has been an extraordinary period,” Miller said of the last three weeks, which have seen investment banks fail and dramatic ups and downs for share prices.

Miller also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that any upcoming directive and legislative on equal treatment for agency workers does not have a negative impact on professional contractors who work through agencies or umbrella companies but instead penalises employers and others who exploit ‘vulnerable workers’. “I’m absolutely convenited it would be wrong to use the legislation to battle these organisations,” he said of the high-end professional services providers. “You have my assurance that is not what is intended.”

(For more, see the 15 October issue of Recruiter.)