State of the Market

[SussexSeagull]

Anyone else on the bench thinking the unthinkable?

That this isn't ever going to pick again? Yes, I'm in a dark mood tonight....

I'm ok for a few more months but my resources are finite & I've already been benched for 3 months which is longer than 2008 (excluding the 2 false starts I've had)

I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to find another way of pulling some money in case this is a long term situation.

I turned down a permenent job today so I hope it picks up!

Just work the contacts, then wait a week and work them again as anything advertised on-line is a complete lottery now.

[Elliegirl]

Anyone else on the bench thinking the unthinkable?

That this isn't ever going to pick again? Yes, I'm in a dark mood tonight....

I'm ok for a few more months but my resources are finite & I've already been benched for 3 months which is longer than 2008 (excluding the 2 false starts I've had)

I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to find another way of pulling some money in case this is a long term situation.

I know what you mean. I have some bench time coming up and being that time of the year my hopes are not high on finding something for a few months. There are lots of ftc out there so that's a last resort I suppose. Been flexing my entrepreneurial muscles recently as my deepest desire is to have my own online business so I'll be able to devote some time to this as well as the fact I will be treating myself to a rather nice holiday because its been a monster of a year.

We need some fist bump emojis, by the way to show support and solidarity.

[uk contractor]

Hearing on the BBC news earlier some utter tool of a reporter say how good it is for the economy that of 461,000 new jobs created ONLY 36,000 went to UK born workers is one of the many reasons why UK IT workers are suffering right now. I bet the 1.6M unemployed are mainly UK born as well & that does not include the legions of IT contractors who chose to live on their savings until things get better!!
UK unemployment falls to 11-year low - BBC News

[CoolCat]

Hearing on the BBC news earlier some utter tool of a reporter say how good it is for the economy that of 461,000 new jobs created ONLY 36,000 went to UK born workers is one of the many reasons why UK IT workers are suffering right now. I bet the 1.6M unemployed are mainly UK born as well & that does not include the legions of IT contractors who chose to live on their savings until things get better!!
UK unemployment falls to 11-year low - BBC News

Post on the political sites like conservative home in the comments section about this regularly. Get the message out there.

[Big Blue Plymouth]

I turned down a permenent job today so I hope it picks up!

Just work the contacts, then wait a week and work them again as anything advertised on-line is a complete lottery now.

I get calls about perm stuff from agents but mine is so obviously a contractor's CV that it's never gained any traction with potential employers.

Besides, I'd hate to do what I do on a perm basis. I'd sooner sell up, downsize and go and run a pub or something.

[Big Blue Plymouth]

I know what you mean. I have some bench time coming up and being that time of the year my hopes are not high on finding something for a few months. There are lots of ftc out there so that's a last resort I suppose. Been flexing my entrepreneurial muscles recently as my deepest desire is to have my own online business so I'll be able to devote some time to this as well as the fact I will be treating myself to a rather nice holiday because its been a monster of a year.

We need some fist bump emojis, by the way to show support and solidarity.

Oddly enough, I have a good record of securing roles at supposedly the quietest times, ie August and December.

I just worry that what we're seeing now is a longer term malaise because the wider economy is supposedly performing well.

[ShandyDrinker]

Anyone else on the bench thinking the unthinkable?

That this isn't ever going to pick again? Yes, I'm in a dark mood tonight....

I'm ok for a few more months but my resources are finite & I've already been benched for 3 months which is longer than 2008 (excluding the 2 false starts I've had)

I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to find another way of pulling some money in case this is a long term situation.

I turned down a permenent job today so I hope it picks up!

Just work the contacts, then wait a week and work them again as anything advertised on-line is a complete lottery now.

^^This.

Oddly enough, I have a good record of securing roles at supposedly the quietest times, ie August and December.

I just worry that what we're seeing now is a longer term malaise because the wider economy is supposedly performing well.

Since the start of the year I've seen a significant shift in both the availability of roles and the likelihood of both securing an interview and subsequently getting an offer.

What SS says is spot on - networking is what will secure access to roles, many of which never hit the job boards anyway. Not easy if you don't have a big network or friendly recruitment agents.

While it's something none of us want to accept but perhaps part of the problem is that many contractors are not seeing the writing on the wall for their niche. For example, you only have to look at itjobswatch to see the general trend for C# is on a downward trajectory whereas Python is doing rapidly gaining ground (see graphs below).

It may well be worthwhile taking time on the bench to look at other areas and invest in training (either time or money) with a few pluralsight or coursera courses. What else can you do?


C# Demand


Python Demand

[CoolCat]

^^This.



Since the start of the year I've seen a significant shift in both the availability of roles and the likelihood of both securing an interview and subsequently getting an offer.

What SS says is spot on - networking is what will secure access to roles, many of which never hit the job boards anyway. Not easy if you don't have a big network or friendly recruitment agents.

While it's something none of us want to accept but perhaps part of the problem is that many contractors are not seeing the writing on the wall for their niche. For example, you only have to look at itjobswatch to see the general trend for C# is on a downward trajectory whereas Python is doing rapidly gaining ground (see graphs below).

It may well be worthwhile taking time on the bench to look at other areas and invest in training (either time or money) with a few pluralsight or coursera courses. What else can you do?


C# Demand


Python Demand

While not bad advice for the individual drip in the sea of workers, its futile in the face of the ongoing tidal waves of cheap workers being flown in from Bulgaria on EU passports, and India on intra company transfers for the outsourcers to be subbed into all our big businesses. Having again been inside one of the big outsourcers and seen the sheer volume of people they are bringing in from lower cost base countries while simultaneously getting rid of Brits in their and their customers workforces I am astounded that its being allowed to continue. The political class really does have a lot to answer for.

[ShandyDrinker]

While not bad advice for the individual drip in the sea of workers, its futile in the face of the ongoing tidal waves of cheap workers being flown in from Bulgaria on EU passports, and India on intra company transfers for the outsourcers to be subbed into all our big businesses. Having again been inside one of the big outsourcers and seen the sheer volume of people they are bringing in from lower cost base countries while simultaneously getting rid of Brits in their and their customers workforces I am astounded that its being allowed to continue. The political class really does have a lot to answer for.

There is no argument against your points from my side. I have little doubt many people in safe contracts will wonder what all the fuss is about. Many will say you have to up your game and the like, I agree that it's a tough ask to compete with many of the cheaper alternatives but what else can you do? You either have to move yourself up the value chain or get out of the business. As I've recently said in a previous thread, it's easy to get a role... until it isn't and you wonder what the hell has changed to make things more difficult.

On a local level I see the number of contractors (or in a lot of cases permitractors) who were at arguably the largest financial institution here in Swindon who were there on and off over the last 10+ years who are no longer able to get work there. Many have been not been renewed and ultimately replaced by outsourcers.

One would think that as a result of the recent Brexit and Trump votes, many in power would be getting the message that people are fed up with the status quo. However, I don't think many businesses are going to relinquish their desire for cheaper resources or a larger pool of potential candidates just because of how the public voted. You only have to look at the recent comments about Deloitte or Citi to get the message.

I try to remain optimistic...

[MyUserName]

^^This.



Since the start of the year I've seen a significant shift in both the availability of roles and the likelihood of both securing an interview and subsequently getting an offer.

What SS says is spot on - networking is what will secure access to roles, many of which never hit the job boards anyway. Not easy if you don't have a big network or friendly recruitment agents.

While it's something none of us want to accept but perhaps part of the problem is that many contractors are not seeing the writing on the wall for their niche. For example, you only have to look at itjobswatch to see the general trend for C# is on a downward trajectory whereas Python is doing rapidly gaining ground (see graphs below).

It may well be worthwhile taking time on the bench to look at other areas and invest in training (either time or money) with a few pluralsight or coursera courses. What else can you do?


C# Demand


Python Demand

Isn't this skewed by Python generally being a secondary skill whereas C# is a primary one?

Jobs will ask for one of C++/Java/C#/etc. but they will pretty much all tag on Python as a secondary.