State of the Market

[MisterLysenkiy]

Will add my 50 pense from my recent experience:

1. Educational network, decent daily rate, interesting project. Passed four (!) interviews, the last one was a day-long technical task. So far so good, during the whole process, my agent was told I am their preferred candidate. When it came to signing up a contract - the client postponed hiring for an uncertain period of time. Very sorry...

2. Quite a nice perm opportunity (yes, I desperately sign for anything, if that starts asap) at the large top-level company. Salary could be way better, however. Passed interviews, was accepted as a great match. However, perm hiring is unable until they all return to the offices, which means all that same as above. The client, however, is about to offer me a contract for likely 3 months until it all settles and people get back to the offices, to be converted into a perm. Which I probably would not consider doing.

The whole point is getting anything at all just to get paid over that period of uncertainty, while plenty of contractors on the market due to IR35 followed by the virus. Once more contract will appear, just to pick stmh I'd like to do without any rush while having that pay

[LondonManc]

The market's getting that bad that some big companies are considering laying off politicians!

[Old Greg]

The market's getting that bad that some big companies are considering laying off politicians!

#prayfortories

[MisterLysenkiy]

In general it is quiet clear and obvious: for majority of us here (IT contractors) there will be no hirings until they all return to the offices (there might me some single rare cases, however).
No one would bother with fully remote onboarding. All of my 100% remote contracts still required me first few days in the office - signing compliance, procedures, getting a working laptop/equipment and so on.

Even after they return to the offices, it will be certain delays for sorting up urgent issues caused by the lockdown, rather than hiring contractors, unless desperately essential.

[rogerfederer]

If you're starting with CGI, SopraSteria, FujitsuSiemens and the rest then they're onboarding as best they can now.

[hungry_hog]

In general it is quiet clear and obvious: for majority of us here (IT contractors) there will be no hirings until they all return to the offices (there might me some single rare cases, however).
No one would bother with fully remote onboarding. All of my 100% remote contracts still required me first few days in the office - signing compliance, procedures, getting a working laptop/equipment and so on.

Even after they return to the offices, it will be certain delays for sorting up urgent issues caused by the lockdown, rather than hiring contractors, unless desperately essential.

Sorry this is not true.
I know of at least one person from the bank with the 'red and white logo' that has onboarded remotely.
Laptop shipped out to him. E signatures for contracts.
In this day and age everything can be done remotely.

[LondonManc]

Sorry this is not true.
I know of at least one person from the bank with the 'red and white logo' that has onboarded remotely.
Laptop shipped out to him. E signatures for contracts.
In this day and age everything can be done remotely.

I know of someone else at scooty's favourite bank that's about to start a contract with them.

[steveclv]

In general it is quiet clear and obvious: for majority of us here (IT contractors) there will be no hirings until they all return to the offices (there might me some single rare cases, however).

Just my 2c and I'm not trying to be alarmist and if someone wants to persuade me I am wrong then that's fine.
The talk of countries relaxing their lockdown rules is cause for real concern.
Although the NHS came out today to say that they now had sufficient resources to cope with a Coronavirus peak - the mortality rate continues to run at extremely high numbers.
People are not dying because they cannot get a bed in ICU or not being admitted into hospitals - they are dying in ICU, on ventilators.
There is a 50:50 chance of survival if you get admitted into ICU despite the best efforts of the brave NHS staff. There is no cure, all they can do is manage the symptoms and hope that your body can fight off the infection.
We cannot afford to relax the lockdown until a cure or vaccine is available and that's how long the market is going to depressed.

[MisterLysenkiy]

Sorry this is not true.
I know of at least one person from the bank with the 'red and white logo' that has onboarded remotely.
Laptop shipped out to him. E signatures for contracts.
In this day and age everything can be done remotely.

As I said - there might be some rare exceptions or when the job must be done, the majority won't bother doing that. It is much simpler saying "we stopped hiring until it all settles down".

[jayn200]

Just my 2c and I'm not trying to be alarmist and if someone wants to persuade me I am wrong then that's fine.
The talk of countries relaxing their lockdown rules is cause for real concern.
Although the NHS came out today to say that they now had sufficient resources to cope with a Coronavirus peak - the mortality rate continues to run at extremely high numbers.
People are not dying because they cannot get a bed in ICU or not being admitted into hospitals - they are dying in ICU, on ventilators.
There is a 50:50 chance of survival if you get admitted into ICU despite the best efforts of the brave NHS staff. There is no cure, all they can do is manage the symptoms and hope that your body can fight off the infection.
We cannot afford to relax the lockdown until a cure or vaccine is available and that's how long the market is going to depressed.

Mortality rate is likely somewhere between 0.1% to 0.5%.

That is part of the reason countries will start relaxing their lockdown restrictions. Also increased capacity for testing and hospital beds.

There is no need to keep the lockdown, this tulip is gonna happen, there is no stopping it. Once capacity to test and care for people has been increased then there is no need to keep things shut down. Can't let fear rule over facts and logic.

I'm happy to see countries are starting to ease up a bit.