State of the Market

[blackeye]

Due to that set up the BA market is always there but as someone mentioned earlier I dont think the offshore skills work in that type of role.

It will all be offshored to France and Germany soon enough

[SussexSeagull]

Jobstats was a sad, sad loss.

As a general rule, the ability to get a role depends on the number of roles posted versus the number of people looking. Job stats provided one side of that equation.

I remember mapping my job hunting career against the Jobstats graph and my success pretty-well mirrored the Jobstat numbers. This rather suggested that all the brow beating about CV formats and recruitment channels etc misses the essential truth that it's mainly about supply and demand.

Basically this is the case. Even people with 'niche' skills operate under the same rules but with smaller numbers.

Even contractors with soft skills aren't immune when whole projects can be outsourced.

[tomtomagain]

Even contractors with soft skills aren't immune when whole projects can be outsourced.

It's when the business process is outsourced that you are effectively out of the game.

Whilst the business is being done in the country there will always be projects which will require boots-on-the-ground.

[SussexSeagull]

It's when the business process is outsourced that you are effectively out of the game.

Whilst the business is being done in the country there will always be projects which will require boots-on-the-ground.

I think at the moment we are seeing these opportunities harder to find and more contractors wanting to do them.

[SussexSeagull]

I am going away this weekend but when I come back I am going to start expanding the search to permanent jobs to see if I do any better.

Had a good run for eight years but I think the party might be ending.

[uk contractor]

I am going away this weekend but when I come back I am going to start expanding the search to permanent jobs to see if I do any better.

Had a good run for eight years but I think the party might be ending.

Genuinely wish you good luck with that but its not much different in permy land so many jobs are either not being advertised when people leave, outsourced to the lowest bidder or just outsourced offshore it seems like we are in a race to the bottom now with few exceptions the IT market is so overloaded with candidates right now!

[oliverson]

Genuinely wish you good luck with that but its not much different in permy land so many jobs are either not being advertised when people leave, outsourced to the lowest bidder or just outsourced offshore it seems like we are in a race to the bottom now with few exceptions the IT market is so overloaded with candidates right now!

So depressing. I'm up next Friday and it looks bleak. Some action last week but it came to nothing and then tumbleweed. But from 16:00 today I've had 3 separate opportunities, just like that. Turns despair into optimism, especially when one of those opportunities is in the same team as your best mate. Tough interview process though, so it's not gimme. The other two have different merits of their own. For now, renewed hope. Backdrop is my London shared tenancy is up for renewal in 2 weeks and it's not just me it affects. The life of a contractor eh?

[uk contractor]

So depressing. I'm up next Friday and it looks bleak. Some action last week but it came to nothing and then tumbleweed. But from 16:00 today I've had 3 separate opportunities, just like that. Turns despair into optimism, especially when one of those opportunities is in the same team as your best mate. Tough interview process though, so it's not gimme. The other two have different merits of their own. For now, renewed hope. Backdrop is my London shared tenancy is up for renewal in 2 weeks and it's not just me it affects. The life of a contractor eh?

Hope it all works out but its bleak overall there are just way too many contractors chasing fewer roles its inevitable really that sooner or later a major correction had to happen.

[psychocandy]

More interestingly, how long can HMG hide the numbers of unemployed rising if the job market has tanked. With so many contractors benched, it's surely only a matter of time before they have to start claiming or at least considering it, especially if warchests aren't big.

See? Claiming JSA is good for the country. It makes a political point.

[psychocandy]

Well after two years at client looks like end Nov is going to be it. Fair play to them for giving me so much notice mind :-)

Not the best time before xmas. Warchest is "ok". Shoiuld last 6 months or so - I wont mention the thing that cant be named. Would rather not spend all my warchest though....

Had a look on jobserve last night. Never great in the south west but I always look to see how many contract roles total within 100 miles of my postcode. Still up there around 1000 which is about average.

Fingers crossed for me....