State of the Market

[dx4100]

Make room one more for the bench

After getting agreement with the directors my extension would be outside IR35 and thinking life’s good - tech lead leaves and is replaced with someone who is only going to destroy my mental health and probably get the ir35 agreement reversed to boot - so declined the extension and now I’m on a countdown to leave

[BritishLad88]

Make room one more for the bench

After getting agreement with the directors my extension would be outside IR35 and thinking life’s good - tech lead leaves and is replaced with someone who is only going to destroy my mental health and probably get the ir35 agreement reversed to boot - so declined the extension and now I’m on a countdown to leave

I'm in a similar boat. On a countdown to leave. Counting my days...

Time for me to pay a visit to the bench once more after 2 years on several gigs.

[GhostofTarbera]

from experience, December/January/start of Feb have been notoriously known to be quite dead & quiet in the contract market. During this time normally there would be only a few new roles available - as some big banks tend to have new roles open in new year after budgeting from the end of previous Dec. It is after April/May when the new financial year starts that you tend to see a flurry of new contract roles open up even more. That is likely when other companies (maybe the non-big enterprises) do their budgetting.

So.. I really wonder whether this year would be the same? Or will It be completely different like as some predict, that pretty much all outside IR35 roles will dissapear off the market completely. It might be worth waiting till after April to observe how the whole situation is behaving (if you're willing to wait/afford that).

Others are hoping that the march budget will have some impact but realistically would there be any changes? given that is 2 weeks before when IR35 kicks in. It's highly unlikely I feel.

personally, I still feel there would be some outside IR35 roles available after April. It's just that its far far less than ever before. These ones are likely to be really short term ones as well.. ones that require people immediatly to help out a dying project or help getting a project over the line.

Agree DEC/JAN/FEB in normal years

For big banking projects clients give the agents a few months warning to start building the pipeline to get several hundred contractors in the door and outsources arrange visas etc

This year the future pipeline is empty for big banking projects


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[PeterSim]

I think we will see a major brain drain in the IT sector if they continue with this war on contractors. I know i will be considering moving to another country if I can't get paid the right amount. Why would anyone go from a day rate to a 50% cut in pay? Umbrella companies are worse of both worlds. Low pay and no benefits and can't claim expenses. I'd rather be perm than go through an umbrella.

Large banking and legal clients will probably welcome the war against contractors because they are always looking at reducing IT costs. Many of them have already moved their IT up north and out to manilla. They are probably hoping contractors fall in line and take a 50% pay cut or go work for a large MSP.

I know in the US they seem to pay their IT staff very well and there is no war on contractors out there.

[hairymouse]

Which means they have found someone cheaper and waiting to see if they accept

Hopefully you are still continuing with the other offer until bum in seat for a week


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Yes, still keeping both offers going. My first instinct when it seemed that client A was going to come through was to call the agent for client B and tell him immediately so as not to screw him around. Then it dawned on me that I should probably hold off until I had completed at least one day at client A. I was actually feeling a little guilty for double dealing, but now it is looking likely that client A is actually screwing me behind my back. JHC!

Not sure if I should tell the agent for client A that I've got something else in the pipeline. I know it will stir the pot but not sure if it is to my advantage.

[oliverson]

tbh, I'm having a few things comes my way claimed to be 'outside' and on good rates. But it's sods law because I have to end Feb on current contract and then have to take a couple of weeks off for family reasons, so in reality I'm just not looking right now. No doubt when I am the market will be flat. I also have a friend just secured an outside role. Both developers. It's not all doom and gloom if you have up-to-date skills. I hope I don't come to regret that last statement.

[LondonManc]

I think we will see a major brain drain in the IT sector if they continue with this war on contractors. I know i will be considering moving to another country if I can't get paid the right amount. Why would anyone go from a day rate to a 50% cut in pay? Umbrella companies are worse of both worlds. Low pay and no benefits and can't claim expenses. I'd rather be perm than go through an umbrella.

Large banking and legal clients will probably welcome the war against contractors because they are always looking at reducing IT costs. Many of them have already moved their IT up north and out to manilla. They are probably hoping contractors fall in line and take a 50% pay cut or go work for a large MSP.

I know in the US they seem to pay their IT staff very well and there is no war on contractors out there.

Contract staff are seen as lower grade resource in the USA from what I've seen.

[Grasser73]

Contract staff are seen as lower grade resource in the USA from what I've seen.

That was certainly the case when I went to IBM in Tucson where they were one step up from interns.

[jamesbrown]

Contract staff are seen as lower grade resource in the USA from what I've seen.

There’s no direct analogy in the U.S. The closest analogy would be FTCs (of employment).

[uk contractor]

Big banking projects for many years now have been a race to the bottom rate wise with few exceptions.

By the time IR35 is sorted out (or not most likely!) a lot of IT work for banks will have either been offshored, onshored, replaced by cloud & AI or a mixture of all of that. The heady days of IT being a well paid profession will for many be a distant memory apart from a few niche hard to come by skillsets the rates will continue to tumble regardless of IR35 due to how many people are allowed to gain questionable work visas!