"However, the issue of skills will only be exacerbated as thousands of tech contractors are set to leave the public sector amid a major crackdown on the tax freelancers pay via IR35."
I haven't been following HMRC's latest wheeze on this but AIUI it will be up to departments in the Civil Service to determine the status of contracts. If so then departments have the solution in their own hands. They can insist on contracts which they can certify as being non-caught. If HMRC insist on doing things differently their loss will be other department's gain.