What is Manchester's contract market like?

[TheNewGuy]

Currently living in London, but considering moving to Manchester.

The biggest concern I have is what the contractor market is like in Manchester?

As an iOS Developer in London there are always plenty of contracts available (barring the occasional lull in the market).

From quick search it seems Manchester has about 100 to London's 600 iOS Developer jobs on one job site - which I'm using to make a rough comparison... BUT nearly 100% permanent. Are there contractor jobs in the mobile sector in Manchester?

[northernladuk]

Nope. It sucks. I've been working away for 2 odd years cause there is sod all going.

[TheNewGuy]

Nope. It sucks. I've been working away for 2 odd years cause there is sod all going.

That's disappointing. It feels like the tech and startup scenes are growing up there, I guess not the contract scene though.

[stek]

Plenty of work in the Black Pudding mines...

[doconline]

Currently living in London, but considering moving to Manchester.

The biggest concern I have is what the contractor market is like in Manchester?

As an iOS Developer in London there are always plenty of contracts available (barring the occasional lull in the market).

From quick search it seems Manchester has about 100 to London's 600 iOS Developer jobs on one job site - which I'm using to make a rough comparison... BUT nearly 100% permanent. Are there contractor jobs in the mobile sector in Manchester?

Are you fixed on Manchester? Both Bristol and Cambridge have a lot of tech work available if they are any good to you?

[TheFaQQer]

Nope. It sucks. I've been working away for 2 odd years cause there is sod all going.

It's great - been working in the area for the past six years straight now.

[northernladuk]

It's great - been working in the area for the past six years straight now.

That's why it's dead in Manchester. Flooded with cheap medicore labour

[FrontEnder]

I'm from the North West and go for jobs in Manchester when I'm on the market. So far only got one gig (3 months) in nearly 3 years of contracting. I got the impression last time I was on the bench that there is a lot on, but it's very competitive.

There's also a lot of Digital/Design agencies around, but they tend to hire people they know rather than advertise openly, so unless you know someone in one of them it can be difficult to get your foot in. Not the best rates from what I know too.

[stek]

Only manc gig I ever got was Coop bank, was like going back to the sixties, which as I am from Bolton, is actually like going forward in time 20 years...

[SueEllen]

Only manc gig I ever got was Coop bank, was like going back to the sixties, which as I am from Bolton, is actually like going forward in time 20 years...

You mean it's like living in Heartbeat land.