State of the Market

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

I took a £300/day one for a month, just a bit of pocket money while out of work. It was so incredibly low stress as well. They just sent a spec pdf and said build this. I gave it to GPT and GPT generated about 80% of the code and I just tidied it up and filled in the rest.

[wettowel]

Apart from going back to Europe soon, I'll become this year fullstack and I don't mean Node.js + React.js I already know this stack.

What do you mean „going back to Europe”? Are you moving to Europe?

I have EU citizenship and have been applying for all kinds of jobs in the EU - very much the same story as here in the UK. No response, or a swift rejection.

[andromedan]

I took a £300/day one for a month, just a bit of pocket money while out of work. It was so incredibly low stress as well. They just sent a spec pdf and said build this. I gave it to GPT and GPT generated about 80% of the code and I just tidied it up and filled in the rest.

Contracts with true deliverables are the best or the worst

What do you mean „going back to Europe”? Are you moving to Europe?

I have EU citizenship and have been applying for all kinds of jobs in the EU - very much the same story as here in the UK. No response, or a swift rejection.

Indeed, I hold EU citizenship and plan to return there. While I haven't claimed that the job market is superior in the EU, I have established a strong network over time, which would be beneficial if I decide to pursue permanent employment there. This is particularly relevant as many of the firms I've contracted with in the UK are multinational companies.

Regarding my departure from the UK, it wasn't an immediate plan. However, I've made the decision not to pursue permanent positions in the UK anymore ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

[dsc]

[...]
Regarding my departure from the UK, it wasn't an immediate plan. However, I've made the decision not to pursue permanent positions in the UK anymore ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Similar thoughts here, perm position salaries seem to be either same as what they were 5-10yrs ago or even dropping no idea how that's possible considering how much more expensive life is now. Let's see what EU has to offer...

[edison]

Similar thoughts here, perm position salaries seem to be either same as what they were 5-10yrs ago or even dropping no idea how that's possible considering how much more expensive life is now. Let's see what EU has to offer...

It's partly for the same reason that salaries were significantly up during 2021/22 - supply and demand. Unfortunately demand is currently quite low and its a buyers market. Clients know that and can offer lower salaries.

In general though, average real salaries in the UK have been stagnant since the 2008 financial crisis. Post 2008, wages have fallen or stayed the same after inflation in eight different years.

With the UK's long term poor productivity growth, I think there's little chance this will change any time in the next 5-10 years unless something major happens to stimulate business investment.

[dsc]

It's partly for the same reason that salaries were significantly up during 2021/22 - supply and demand. Unfortunately demand is currently quite low and its a buyers market. Clients know that and can offer lower salaries.

In general though, average real salaries in the UK have been stagnant since the 2008 financial crisis. Post 2008, wages have fallen or stayed the same after inflation in eight different years.

With the UK's long term poor productivity growth, I think there's little chance this will change any time in the next 5-10 years unless something major happens to stimulate business investment.

I've phrased it incorrectly, it's possible, anything is really, it's just much harder to maintain the same level of living if you get paid less and less each year and changing jobs doesn't offer much. At this point salaries in the UK are really laughably low and I expect them to drop even lower considering govs plans with visas and their "market" rates.

Couple the above with crumbling infrastructure, public services etc. there probably isn't an area where things aren't going to tulip and yes I agree I can't see how this will change any time soon.

[Bluenose]

Here is a news article about Hays:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...bs-uk-economy/

"The company’s shares plunged as much as 19pc in early trading on Tuesday after it issued a profit warning to shareholders."

[dsc]

I'm through them but via non-UK office, they already mentioned lack of recruitment like a year ago.

Also, not sure how true the top comment is, but it seems grim:

"Job vacancies collapsing. Bankruptcies up by 24 %.
Highest tax take for 70 yrs as bad as Labour in the worst days.
Business confidence collapsing by 15% in Q1 of 2024.
Government borrowing the highest ever.
GDP falling .01% in quarter 3 2023.
Unemployment rising.
Does anyone see that I see. We are not in a recession due high levels of government expenditure.
The wheels on that wagon are about to come off too. 30 % of the government expenditure is now debt.
That cannot last"

[PCTNN]

3 offers on the table and I am deciding which one to take

- 425 per day outiside ir35 in the public sector
- 600 per day inside ir35 in a new exciting project/industry
- 600 per day inside ir35 for an ex client

First thing first, I need to figure out which one has the best take home (my guess is the 2 inside gigs). Then it's a choice between comfortable in a role I've done already or try something totally new that could go either way.

[eek]

In other news - someone who knows the recruitment market is saying that Contract work is doing way better than permanent recruitment

3 offers on the table and I am deciding which one to take

- 425 per day outiside ir35 in the public sector
- 600 per day inside ir35 in a new exciting project/industry
- 600 per day inside ir35 for an ex client

First thing first, I need to figure out which one has the best take home (my guess is the 2 inside gigs). Then it's a choice between comfortable in a role I've done already or try something totally new that could go either way.

Inside gives you more money.

2 if it vaguely works out gives you more options going forward