State of the Market

[ShandyDrinker]

Many of us ran successful businesses that allowed us to easily work in EU countries. The state of the market crashed for us in 2016.
The rest of your story sounds like it came from a bunch of ex-tories who want to claim to be "men of the people", but are just serial politicians.

In terms of the current state of the market, US businesses are very reticent to invest right now because of their far right leader. EU businesses are investing in EU locations and I am seeing an increase in contact about that. UK businesses over the 2-3 years are becoming more insular and trying to do it themselves, which has worked out well for me when they realise that DIY is only a good idea if you know what you're doing, otherwise you have to get experts in to fix the mess.

On the first paragraph in particular, I disagree about the ex-Tories quip. I've worked in many companies over the last couple of decades where there have been particular contingents from specific countries. Not to be specific on companies, but there was an insurer which has an Italian contingent, an investment bank that seemed to prefer Portuguese, Polish and Czech workers. You get the point. While great for the individuals concerned creating a better life for themselves, not so great for the British uni graduates who can't get jobs because many companies seemed to have a policy of anyone but British.

If Government and companies had taken a sensible approach to trade deals and immigration, this would never have happened. But it did, so we got Brexit.

We're seeing the same thing all over again with the recent trade deal with India. Indeed I've seen a number of articles in the Indian media celebrating such as https://www.business-standard.com/im...2500383_1.html. While there are many that will doubtless be celebrating, how many British workers are being and have been displaced as a result? For the record, I don't blame those coming here seeking better lives for themselves. We'd all do it given half a chance. However, I do object when successive governments inflict this on us and put the livelihoods of British people, whether being older (50+) like myself, or younger people graduating and finding they can't get a job because it's cheaper to outsource, offshore or abuse the ICT system.

[ShandyDrinker]

That's not what I'm seeing, in fact I'd say it was quite the opposite.

There has been no uptick in testing roles. Slightly more permie roles but nothing significent. As it happens I have been offered a permie role. I had given up hope at my age 55 and applying for hundreds of them over the last 2 years or so. Been lucky to still be in contract during this tulip show but time to switch. Will be weird as not been permie since 1998 but definetely the right decision I feel.

I'm also likely to go permie. For me it would be the first time since 2008. While I don't relish the idea, given the prevalence of umbrella contracts in the current market, it's harder and harder to justify contracting if there's a strong likelihood you can be out of contract for 3-6 months, much longer if some of the posts on this thread are correct.

I also feel lucky to have started a contract in April 2020, just as lockdowns were in full flow, only just finishing my most recent contract in July, albeit with a different client.

There's a feeling of end of days to it for me. You only have to look at this forum to tell you how contracting has died over the last decade or so.

[avonleigh]

Your moronic decision is my ability to more easily hold the government to account. No more BS about hands being tied by the EU. If our governments screw over the British people, we can crucify them at the polls; we just have to be patient. That is why we're seeing the real-time implosion of the 2 main parties, which I absolutely celebrate.

So I'm guessing you were a net gainer from the EU? Easier travel? Selling into Europe? Getting labour from the rest of the EU on the cheap while undercutting British workers?

If our various governments and leaders over the last 3 decades had taken note of the the growing unrest of being sold out by globalisation or EU enlargement without there being any kind of controls, how did they think people would eventually vote? I've worked with many really good (and some not so good) people from across the globe over the last couple of decades. However, plundering the global talent pool rather than training up British workers has been a travesty.

The bottom line is that all governments since Blair have used the simplistic "throw bodies at the problem" approach to maintaining a reasonable level of GDP. The problem in recent years is that like any drug addict, you need to have more and more to stand still.

With Boris and getting Brexit done, it was meant to be about taking back control of borders, until he sold everyone down the river. The beauty of Brexit now means that the British people can more easily hold the government to account, as the current government is finding out all too fast. Sure, there's potentially another 3 years and 10 months of this shower, but I am hopeful that the damage they do will mean that socialists are out of power for another generation.

Brexit rant aside.

Has anyone noticed an uptick in the market now that schools have returned? I'm not convinced by posts on here and certainly not seeing a load more contracts being posted in the usual places.

There has been no uptick in testing roles. Slightly more permie roles but nothing significent. As it happens I have been offered a permie role. I had given up hope at my age 55 and applying for hundreds of them over the last 2 years or so. Been lucky to still be in contract during this tulip show but time to switch. Will be weird as not been permie since 1998 but definetely the right decision I feel.

[WTFH]

Not sure it's Brexit, from what I've seen it's always been hard to land work in Germany without some level of German (even job ads in English often have German listed as a requirement).

I've done a couple of contracts in Germany before 2016, where some parts of the organisation were German-only, but the IT side were dual language and if there was a non-German in the meeting, then it was always held in English (even if the non-German was French/Spanish/Italian/etc). Some of them have dropped their official company rule about English, as it as seen of less benefit in recent years.

[WTFH]

So I'm guessing you were a net gainer from the EU? Easier travel? Selling into Europe? Getting labour from the rest of the EU on the cheap while undercutting British workers?

Many of us ran successful businesses that allowed us to easily work in EU countries. The state of the market crashed for us in 2016.
The rest of your story sounds like it came from a bunch of ex-tories who want to claim to be "men of the people", but are just serial politicians.

In terms of the current state of the market, US businesses are very reticent to invest right now because of their far right leader. EU businesses are investing in EU locations and I am seeing an increase in contact about that. UK businesses over the 2-3 years are becoming more insular and trying to do it themselves, which has worked out well for me when they realise that DIY is only a good idea if you know what you're doing, otherwise you have to get experts in to fix the mess.

[ShandyDrinker]

I will never get over it. Most moronic decsion ever made and has screwed things up not only for me but for my children.

Your moronic decision is my ability to more easily hold the government to account. No more BS about hands being tied by the EU. If our governments screw over the British people, we can crucify them at the polls; we just have to be patient. That is why we're seeing the real-time implosion of the 2 main parties, which I absolutely celebrate.

So I'm guessing you were a net gainer from the EU? Easier travel? Selling into Europe? Getting labour from the rest of the EU on the cheap while undercutting British workers?

If our various governments and leaders over the last 3 decades had taken note of the the growing unrest of being sold out by globalisation or EU enlargement without there being any kind of controls, how did they think people would eventually vote? I've worked with many really good (and some not so good) people from across the globe over the last couple of decades. However, plundering the global talent pool rather than training up British workers has been a travesty.

The bottom line is that all governments since Blair have used the simplistic "throw bodies at the problem" approach to maintaining a reasonable level of GDP. The problem in recent years is that like any drug addict, you need to have more and more to stand still.

With Boris and getting Brexit done, it was meant to be about taking back control of borders, until he sold everyone down the river. The beauty of Brexit now means that the British people can more easily hold the government to account, as the current government is finding out all too fast. Sure, there's potentially another 3 years and 10 months of this shower, but I am hopeful that the damage they do will mean that socialists are out of power for another generation.

Brexit rant aside.

Has anyone noticed an uptick in the market now that schools have returned? I'm not convinced by posts on here and certainly not seeing a load more contracts being posted in the usual places.

[avonleigh]

I'm damn sure it's not brexit!

Around 8 years since the decision to leave was made and some people still can't get over it. There should be some kind of therapy for this condition.

I will never get over it. Most moronic decsion ever made and has screwed things up not only for me but for my children.

[oliverson]

Not sure it's Brexit, from what I've seen it's always been hard to land work in Germany without some level of German (even job ads in English often have German listed as a requirement).

I'm damn sure it's not brexit!

Around 8 years since the decision to leave was made and some people still can't get over it. There should be some kind of therapy for this condition.

[dsc]

Most of the jobs I see on Jobserve now are in Germany. But the ads are written in German. So I would imagine you need to speak the language. I would imagine they are moving away from English speaking environments now, as same with Holland. Where most of their ads were written in English before but not anymore. That's brexit for you.

Not sure it's Brexit, from what I've seen it's always been hard to land work in Germany without some level of German (even job ads in English often have German listed as a requirement).

[avonleigh]

Berlin has been the top IT startup destination in Europe since 2021. Lots of work there in predominately English environments.

Most of the jobs I see on Jobserve now are in Germany. But the ads are written in German. So I would imagine you need to speak the language. I would imagine they are moving away from English speaking environments now, as same with Holland. Where most of their ads were written in English before but not anymore. That's brexit for you.