State of the Market

[washed up contractor]

Although Ive been retired from contracting for just over 2 months now, Im still getting calls from agents although I expect them to stop when GDPR comes into force and I no longer give them permission to use my data.

Anyhoo, it is clear the agents are on fishing trips looking for leads. Im getting asked if im looking for developer, PM and, testing opportunities. The agents open up a little when I tell them Im retired and say the 'contract market' is very fickle right now. Locations like London are quite hot across the board but the further north you go, the chill has generally set in.

Their 'advice' was if anyone is in a contract try and ensure a renewal. They are seeing many contractors now even those with very strong cvs, have a 6 month or more break between roles. Reading between the lines the vibes I got was that many places are looking to take on more permies and only take on niche contractors as and when needed. The underlying trend on rates is they are also being pushed down which is never a good sign.

Good luck and top up your pension pot as much as you can!

[bluelinecoding]

I do have some leads but the competition is really high. Annoyingly the perm offer is really good and money wise they are on par all things factored in.

IR35 changes coming next year is the concern for me and how the market will look. The main thing I want is time to do my own projects in my spare time, perm job is a bit more committed to always being available and in it for the long term. Contract you work hard for the time but you have no commitment.

[oliverson]

Although Ive been retired from contracting for just over 2 months now, Im still getting calls from agents although I expect them to stop when GDPR comes into force and I no longer give them permission to use my data.

Anyhoo, it is clear the agents are on fishing trips looking for leads. Im getting asked if im looking for developer, PM and, testing opportunities. The agents open up a little when I tell them Im retired and say the 'contract market' is very fickle right now. Locations like London are quite hot across the board but the further north you go, the chill has generally set in.

Their 'advice' was if anyone is in a contract try and ensure a renewal. They are seeing many contractors now even those with very strong cvs, have a 6 month or more break between roles. Reading between the lines the vibes I got was that many places are looking to take on more permies and only take on niche contractors as and when needed. The underlying trend on rates is they are also being pushed down which is never a good sign.

Good luck and top up your pension pot as much as you can!

As a contractor you go where the work is. London is booming right now with some of the biggest rates I've ever seen for developers, if you have the right skills.

[heyya99]

As a contractor you go where the work is. London is booming right now with some of the biggest rates I've ever seen for developers, if you have the right skills.

They do seem to have shot up surprisingly.

[bluelinecoding]

The rates have increased for sure, but I do wonder how many fake roles and CV blocking is being done. So many times I have been put forward for then another agency to check and nothing ever was.

[uk contractor]

The rates have increased for sure, but I do wonder how many fake roles and CV blocking is being done. So many times I have been put forward for then another agency to check and nothing ever was.

Lots of this going on not sure how many of these roles with mega rates are actually real either. All the info I have gathered points to the other direction (race to the bottom!).

[Hertsseasider]

Soon to find out as moving onto the bench after tomorrow.

Got a good war chest built up and need some time out from commuting into London so in no great rush.

Good luck to all.

[washed up contractor]

Oystons out

Yep.

[edison]

I do have some leads but the competition is really high. Annoyingly the perm offer is really good and money wise they are on par all things factored in.

IR35 changes coming next year is the concern for me and how the market will look. The main thing I want is time to do my own projects in my spare time, perm job is a bit more committed to always being available and in it for the long term. Contract you work hard for the time but you have no commitment.

This is the nub of the dilemma for me. I started contracting 5 years ago to allow myself to have more free time rather than make significantly more money than I did as a perm.

I've averaged 8 months billing a year which is about a month a year less than I had hoped but although some good perm opportunities have come up in that time, I've always valued time over more money. In my case, elderly parents have taken up a lot of my time. It has been challenging at times. particularly one year where I hardly worked, but it's been balanced by a couple of lengthy contracts.

[ChangePM]

I'm finding it slow going to be honest. Been on the bench for six weeks now, I have a few things in the pipeline but I had hoped to have had a couple of offers by now (that's me being impatient, not arrogant by the way!).

There seems to be loads of Business Analyst contracts about. Time will tell if these BA's put some sort of strategy together for these clients so that they need a delivery focused PM soon after?

I've had a fair few chats with agents and consultants and the reoccurring theme seems to be that there are a lot of contracts and roles out there at the moment, the clients are just waiting for the new tax year to kick in before they commit to bringing in additional resource.

Good luck to everyone still looking!