Tech hirers are concerned by Andy Burnham’s video interview criticisms, saying UK plc mustn’t think they apply to IT contractors — just as demand is growing — even if ‘Zoom’ is IR35-neutral.
Speaking to ContractorUK, IT contractor jobs agencies responded to Burnham, who said on July 30th 2026: “One thing I really don’t like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams.”
IT contractor recruiters push back on Burnham’s Zoom comments
VIQU IT said the PM was speaking about youngsters finding it hard to “shine” on camera, whereas IT contractors are hired on “skills, experience and technical capability,” making a quick ‘Teams’ ideal.
First Point Group said over 95% of its technology contractor job interviews in 2026 are online, heavily indicating “virtual interviews are here to stay, regardless of what the prime minister says.”
And Bowers Partnership hinted at the irony of a Labour leader opposing a way to remove interview travel costs, saying video calls were “a leveller” as “quite literally, nobody can judge you by your shoes.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first big clash with the tech staffing sector
The pushback from the contract IT job agencies represents the first time Andy Burnham has antagonised the tech sector since he replaced Keir Starmer as Labour leader and PM on July 20th.
In fact, even critics of his day one move to quietly axe the government’s science and technology department (‘DSIT’) were pacified by his follow-up decision to appoint the UK’s first minister for AI.
What did Andy Burnham actually say about Zoom job interviews?
Speaking to former political adviser Jimmy McLoughlin on his podcast “Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future,” — in a conversation that opened on NEETs before turning to hiring practices — Mr Burnham, a father-of-three “twenty somethings,” said:
“I think it’s quite harsh, I would say, and quite unfair at times [for them],” he began in his second interview as PM, in a segment entitled “Kids [sic] View of Jobs Market,” from about 12.24 onwards.
Mr Burnham continued: “One thing I really don’t like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams. That just doesn’t seem right to me. I know it’s convenient for the organisations that do it.
“But how does a young person shine in that situation? How do you get over some of your personality, your passion? It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answers.
“So I do worry about that, and I’ve seen that in relation to my kids and their situation. It just does feel harder, doesn’t it, these days, to make that breakthrough — to get their first connection — and how do young people get that first bit of experience? It seems to be quite random.”
Do Burnham’s virtual interview criticisms apply to IT contractors?
Not really, says Nicholas Hopkins, head of contract staffing at VIQU IT — the prime minister’s criticisms of Zoom and Teams interviews, he believes, don’t map onto professional tech contracting.
“[Burnham’s] comments seem to be focused primarily on younger people who are just starting their careers, who may find it harder to demonstrate their enthusiasm and personality through a virtual interview.
“I can understand and appreciate that perspective. However, when it comes to IT contractors, the situation is somewhat different,” Mr Hopkins told ContractorUK.
“Contractors are normally experienced, seasoned professionals, so interviews are less about aligning cultural fit and displaying passion, and more about clients and contractors establishing whether the contractor is the right fit for the project, regarding skills, experience and technical capability.”
Why do online job interviews suit freelance contractors?
Speed and cost, mainly. These are chief among the “clear benefits” that online job interviews have for almost all temporary candidates and engagers, not just IT roles, says Hopkins, who has over 15 years of recruitment experience.
He explained: “Zoom and Teams job interviews allow employers and contractors to move much more quickly, which is particularly valuable in… [any] contracting market where speed-to-hire can be critical.
“Contractors can also attend interviews without losing a significant amount of billable time. For…[a freelance consultant] interviewing with multiple organisations, travelling to several face-to-face interviews could mean losing a half or full day of contracting income each time — potentially £1,000 or more — over several opportunities.”
First Point Group: ‘Common sense needs to prevail’
Shown the above transcript of Mr Burnham’s ‘anti-Zoom’ comments, David Taylor, managing director of First Point Group (FPG), told ContractorUK: “I think common sense needs to prevail here.
“The fact is, online job interviews are simply easier for all parties. And with IT contractors often working remotely or based in different parts of the country than a hiring manager, it’s simply more practical to interview virtually. It saves time and money for both parties.”
How many IT contractor job interviews are now held online?
Over 95%, according to Taylor — who for almost 23 years has run FPG (which places temporary telecoms and tech workers across the UK) — though he said “local” contractor job candidates are still typically offered a face-to-face.
“But even then, many will still choose online, because it’s easier to do at your desk rather than travelling and taking perhaps a half day off to complete it, if you’re still working,” he said.
“More than 95% of our contractor interviews are now online, and it’s exceptionally well-received by contractors and clients. [And] personally, I think this move [towards interviewing for a job online] has been welcomed by industry.”
Is video interviewing new in IT contractor hiring?
Natalie Bowers, founder of Bowers Partnership, observes that video interviews are nothing new, and to suggest otherwise is as “highly irritating” as the support that some of Mr Burnham’s comments have received, she said.
“I’ve been facilitating video interviews for six years, so this is hardly a radical or groundbreaking practice to land a job,” began Bowers, who places IT contractors across London’s Square Mile.
“Zoom and Teams are used for interviews across the board, regardless of age or experience, so I don’t see younger candidates being inherently disadvantaged.
“In fact, video is a leveller. It removes the cost and time of travelling to a client site, opens opportunities beyond commuting distance and, quite literally, nobody can judge you by your shoes.”
Does a Zoom or Teams interview affect IR35?
While a remote interview is not an ‘Outside IR35’ signpost (a suggestion once put to the 13-year City recruitment veteran, apparently on the basis that permanent employees would be more likely to be required to attend physical interviews at the workplace), they still have multiple benefits in the freelance IT labour market.
“For IT contractors in particular, speed matters,” Bowers said. “And with UK demand for temporary IT expertise only just recently recovering, reverting to physical-only interviews would add unnecessary time and cost investments.
“Although it’s true remote interviews are not an outside IR35 indicator, because IR35 status depends on the contract and actual working practices, not whether the interview took place on Teams, their opposites — in-person interviews — are still useful. For contract IT placements, interviews get physical at ‘final stage’ or as an additional check to guard against fraud and impersonation.”
What risks are there to skipping IRL job interviews?
VIQU IT’s Nicholas Hopkins, who is also one of the Birmingham-headquartered agency’s directors, echoed: “Face-to-face, ‘In Real Life’ interviews can provide a more controlled environment…[including] another layer of verification to make it harder for someone to impersonate another person throughout the process”.
“We have also seen an increase in contractors dropping out of the process, or simply not turning up, when they have not had to make the commitment of attending a face-to-face interview.”
In-person job interviews: four benefits
VIQU IT says there are four other key advantages to physical job interviews — Mr Burnham’s implied preference for the young — notably:
- Job candidates often demonstrate a greater commitment to the opportunity in the longer term.
- Contractors benefit from the opportunity to experience the working environment, meet the project team, and even dummy-run the commute before accepting a contract, “which can all help prevent issues further down the line.”
- Employers have greater confidence that the skills being demonstrated in any technical test or assessment are the candidate’s own.
- Both interviewer and interviewee gain a fuller understanding of whether they are suited to each other.
Either or: Is it a case of physical vs virtual interviews?
VIQU IT’s Nicholas Hopkins says that, ultimately, there’s room in UK recruitment for both in-person and virtual interviews.
But Zoom, Teams and Google Meet-enabled job interviews represent “an important part of a fast-moving recruitment process” because they “offer the speed and efficiency that employers and highly-skilled, temporary contractors need,” he said.
Robert Walters: Virtual or not? It’s down to the nature of the role
Ajay Hayre, principal recruitment consultant at Robert Walters, agrees on both counts — there’s no one-size-fits-all, but virtual interviews are a staple of IT contracting.
“The type of interview used in a recruitment process is essentially down to the nature of the role itself,” he began in a statement yesterday morning (Aug 25th 2026).
“Video interviews can bring speed and flexibility — two qualities that are crucial when hiring IT contractors, who typically work remotely and within a specific timeframe.
“In-person interviews can help us see a contractor’s personality first-hand, how they answer unexpected questions, and provide a better picture of how they might interact in different environments. However, they can take longer to facilitate and aren’t always essential, particularly for IT contractors who often work independently and for a limited period within a company.”
How effective do UK hiring managers think virtual interviews are?
A recent Robert Walters survey asked UK hiring managers how effective they thought virtual interviews were, to which 45% responded: “They work, but they have their limits.”
Specialising in cybersecurity recruitment for Robert Walters’ Midlands division, Hayre reflected: “This [finding] highlights our point that blanket approaches don’t work in recruitment, particularly during contractor hiring when business demands are often highly specific.
“Each role requires its own strategy to determine whether virtual or in-person interviews are the best fit on a case-by-case basis.”
What’s the future of job interviews?
The genie isn’t going back in the bottle, suggests Hayre. Even beyond his specialism of Infrastructure and Cyber/InfoSec roles, he believes video interviewing is here to stay for IT contractors.
He told ContractorUK: “Some employers may want to increase their use of physical interviews for more permanent roles. However, remote processes are a staple of contract hiring, and we would be surprised if the PM’s comments prompted a full reversal away from them.”
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