State of the Market

[northernladuk]

Save me a space next to you PS! Although to be fair - mine is by choice. I could've eeked out another extension but I need to get on to something different.

Crypto mining?

[Networker2017]

Save me a space next to you PS! Although to be fair - mine is by choice. I could've eeked out another extension but I need to get on to something different.

I'm in a similar position. 3 month extension on the table. I'm bored and want to move on, but the advice I have been given is sit tight over winter.

3 months in the Warchest. which could stretch to 5 if I live sensible..

[gables]

I'm in a similar position. 3 month extension on the table. I'm bored and want to move on, but the advice I have been given is sit tight over winter.

3 months in the Warchest. which could stretch to 5 if I live sensible..

The way I looked at this was that I'd prefer to start looking for new role post xmas\new year - so just accepted extension until end of January.

[wantacontract]

IMHO it's a bit misleading to think of contracting as one market. It's similar to the UK housing market. There was a good analysis piece on the BBC recently which suggested there are about 5-6 different types of market based on demographics, geographical area, type/age of property etc.

Same with the IT contractor market based on sector, skillset and geography.

I've been trying to recruit a contract PM to work on a payroll project. These people seem to be in tremendous demand, I've made several offers which were rejected by candidates after they accepted another offer within less than 24 hours of me interviewing them. I'm also recruiting a perm PM role to work initially on a project in a specialised finance functional area. My sponsor is getting frustrated with lack of decent candidates and has suggested getting a consultant in at somewhere well over £2000/day (which I don't think is needed but it shows how few people seem to be available unless you are going to pay very large day rates.)

Similarly we have a shared service centre that provides network and infrastructure for most of the business's operating companies. It is located close to several other large companies in a very bouyant local jobs market. There is a now an IT 'talent war' for even fairly junior roles like Service Desk analysts.

In the longer term as new technologies like AI become more prevalent, I think the market will increasingly split into two halves. Roles with a large proportion of face to face human contact/creativity/cognition will thrive. Roles that are repetitive, no matter how technical or complex, will be at greater risk of automation and hence rates will be in a steady real terms decline.

I always give advice to younger people early in their career to think about paying as much attention to developing their soft skills as technical ones. That will be an ever increasing differentiator in the long term.

good post this.... payroll PMs earning good money at the moment.....

[wantacontract]

I'm in a similar position. 3 month extension on the table. I'm bored and want to move on, but the advice I have been given is sit tight over winter.

3 months in the Warchest. which could stretch to 5 if I live sensible..

spot on....sit tight, enjoy xmas and new years, and then start in 2019 if you really want to move on...

[PerfectStorm]

The way I looked at this was that I'd prefer to start looking for new role post xmas\new year - so just accepted extension until end of January.

Not a bad idea at all. The weeks inbetween are dead anyway, you might as well get paid for some of it rather than none of it.

[Lilibet]

Hello!

London based
Approaching 6th week on the bench
Attended 3 interviews - not heard back
Nothing else lined up
Chatting to recruiters/Linkedin constantly
Very slow currently in my profession they say
Worried about Xmas/Newyear approaching
Warchest very healthy
But going out of my mind with boredom
Must step away from the fridge.

Hows everyone else doing?

[Contractor101101]

London based
Approaching 6th week on the bench
Attended 3 interviews - not heard back
Nothing else lined up
Chatting to recruiters/Linkedin constantly
Very slow currently in my profession they say
Worried about Xmas/Newyear approaching
Warchest very healthy
But going out of my mind with boredom
Must step away from the fridge.

Hows everyone else doing?

Same from boredom perspective.

I took a couple of work related exams that were important in September and didn't start looking until early October. No worries about war chest but boredom set in after working and traveling pretty intensely then studying for the exams 7 days a week.
Only had tier 2 companies calling me and random agents fishing for leads. I really thought this is how it was going to be until January.

Then suddenly the market picked up, I'm hearing everywhere that there is good demand as budgets are getting approved for next year. I have a second interview already arranged for a potentially very good quality contract I really want to take a stab at.

[FGB]

Must step away from the fridge.

This is the reason I go contracting.

[PerfectStorm]

London based
Approaching 6th week on the bench
Attended 3 interviews - not heard back
Nothing else lined up
Chatting to recruiters/Linkedin constantly
Very slow currently in my profession they say
Worried about Xmas/Newyear approaching
Warchest very healthy
But going out of my mind with boredom
Must step away from the fridge.

Hows everyone else doing?

Sounds about normal, but consider changing aspects of your style/responses/appearance if the interviews aren't securing work.