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State of the Market

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    Originally posted by iainb View Post
    It seems a lot of companies have taken the implementation of the new IR35 legislation as a green light to slash contractor rates to bring them in line with permies. I really can't see who is going to go for those "contracts" though, all the costs and risks of being a contractor still apply but now the rewards just aren't there.
    Originally posted by iainb View Post
    I know... that's my point, that's why I say I need to clear £200 a day after deductions and costs or I may as well go perm with all of the comfort and safety that brings.
    The whole "we'll slash rates and save money that way or force contractors into perm jobs" might just work for a lot of companies. When this change happened in the public sector, a lot of people jumped over to the private sector. This time around there's not much to jump over to :/ People who have large war chests might be able to sit this one out and then the market might just go back to normal-ish, but for some, with large mortgages / other monthly expenses they might bench it for a bit and then take whatever is available just because £### is better than bugger all. Or if the right perm job comes along they might decide it's time for a switch, even if it's temporary, just to pay the bills.

    Comment


      Just been emailed about a stunning role.

      £125 p/day LtdCo to transport Windows 10 PCs to client site and set them up. Then do 1st/2nd line and floor walking support. Location is Chichester. Happy to forward on to anyone looking for a 2-3 month gig

      Comment


        State of the Market

        Originally posted by BR14 View Post
        Where are all these perm jobs that people will just walk into??
        there're a lot of blithe 'i'll just go perm' statements on here, is it That easy?
        Companies would rather have 5th best permie candidate than Best 4 contractor candidates

        They know the score and the market and know we will jump ship as soon as


        Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum

        Comment


          Originally posted by BR14 View Post
          Where are all these perm jobs that people will just walk into??
          there're a lot of blithe 'i'll just go perm' statements on here, is it That easy?
          This is from the REC on Friday 8th Nov:

          REC: Hiring activity remains weak as uncertainty over the outlook intensifies in October

          Key findings
          • Solid drop in permanent staff appointments, temp billings rise only slightly
          • Vacancy growth eases to 93-month low
          • Pay continues to rise as candidate availability falls again
          There is a lot of fluff in this report, no figures or facts are presented at all, just words like 'solid', 'sharp', 'modest', 'weak', 'slow', etc. Make of it what you will...

          These bits are somewhat interesting:

          Quicker fall in permanent staff appointments

          As has been the case throughout the majority of 2019, the number of people placed into permanent job roles fell during October, and at a solid rate. At the same time, temp billings growth weakened to only a marginal pace. According to panel members, political and economic uncertainty continued to dampen hiring activity.

          Vacancy growth weakest since start of 2012

          October data signalled only a modest upturn in overall demand for staff across the UK. Notably, the rate of vacancy growth was the slowest seen since January 2012, with both permanent and short-term worker demand increasing at historically weak rates.
          North england good, South bad for jobs.

          Permanent staff appointments declined sharply across the Midlands, the South of England and London in October. In contrast, the North of England registered a solid increase in permanent placements. Higher temp billings were recorded in the Midlands and the North of England, while declines were seen in the South of England and London.
          Brexit and the election:

          James Stewart, Vice Chair at KPMG, said:

          “Businesses are still waiting to hear that starting gun, and until there is some certainty around Brexit and now the election, employers continue to stall on creating vacancies and making permanent hires.

          “It’s not just businesses that are being cautious, however, and over October we’ve seen job-seekers become increasingly nervous about making a career change. The lucky few that do find jobs are continuing to demand higher pay as reflected in the rise in starting salaries and temp pay.

          The IT and computing sector threw caution to the wind last month as the best performer in vacancy growth. Meanwhile, the medical sector is not far behind, and we also saw a sharp increase in the demand for temp staff in this sector.”
          Do we agree with this last part about the IT sector? I'm not sure I do!

          Comment


            Originally posted by BR14 View Post
            Where are all these perm jobs that people will just walk into??
            there're a lot of blithe 'i'll just go perm' statements on here, is it That easy?
            In my limited experience, NO.
            I've recently started applying for some permie roles after contracting for almost 20 years and the response has been absolute silence. I'm still getting a bit of calls and activity on the contract side, but nothing from the permie roles, even though I thought they were pretty well matched. Even the agents who used to call me about permie roles when I wasn't looking for them have stopped.

            Comment


              Originally posted by iainb View Post
              It seems a lot of companies have taken the implementation of the new IR35 legislation as a green light to slash contractor rates to bring them in line with permies.
              From what I'm seeing, most of the contracts with ridiculously low rates are for gigs in the public sector. Banks for example are not slashing rates; rates are the same, only now the roles are all inside ir35.

              Thing I've noticed is there are barely any contracts anymore, but also permie roles are pretty scarce. I guess we've entered the Christmas period.

              Comment


                Originally posted by BR14 View Post
                Where are all these perm jobs that people will just walk into??
                there're a lot of blithe 'i'll just go perm' statements on here, is it That easy?
                Very much depends on what you're looking for I suppose and what your personal circumstances are. Part of me thinks I just want to go get a lower paid zero pressure job... another part of me says go earn some proper money

                Comment


                  Originally posted by ladymuck View Post
                  Just been emailed about a stunning role.

                  £125 p/day LtdCo to transport Windows 10 PCs to client site and set them up. Then do 1st/2nd line and floor walking support. Location is Chichester. Happy to forward on to anyone looking for a 2-3 month gig
                  Ah, but does it exist? Are you pimpin' now lol

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by PCTNN View Post
                    From what I'm seeing, most of the contracts with ridiculously low rates are for gigs in the public sector. Banks for example are not slashing rates; rates are the same, only now the roles are all inside ir35.

                    Thing I've noticed is there are barely any contracts anymore, but also permie roles are pretty scarce. I guess we've entered the Christmas period.
                    I am seeing multiple views on jobserve today for a recent London public-sector gig:

                    "Full Stack Developer required to work with a Government Department based in Westminster. This is an initial 4 month contract, In Scope of IR35, paying up to £650 per day."

                    Other agencies advertised this as only 3 months long.
                    So basically, the rate has gone up approximately £100 - 150 per day, but ...

                    "This role does fall inside IR35 so you MUST work through an umbrella company for the duration of the contract."

                    Possibility means you cannot claim expenses for train travel / oyster cards / bus / car parking etc against the new umbrella company

                    "The SAR (Subject Access Request) stuff is working on their process for responding to SARs which is how they provide people s personal data to them when they request it."

                    Data protection stuff

                    Basically, GPDR and MOJ c*ck stuff, I suspect the previous GOV.UK contractors who working on that project decided to bin it, quit it and split it (move) somewhere .... (ironically where is that other place he/she moved to is my question)


                    On the happier the contract rates are jumping up and I will keep my eye on that because De Keynesian economics says ... but I'm staying away from public sector work

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by rocktronAMP View Post
                      Possibility means you cannot claim expenses for train travel / oyster cards / bus / car parking etc against the new umbrella company
                      Exactly. They force you to go umbrella and you can't claim expenses.

                      Comment

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