State of the Market

[eek]

One thing missing from this downturn is the headlines of the Banks forcing 20%+ rates cuts on contractors. I'm sure that happened in both 2002 and 2008. Are banking rates so low these days anyway, not worth cutting?

Could equally be they all left when IR35 came into being.

[Protagoras]

In the Project Management world, on Friday's JobServe, there were just 30 contract roles advertised, of which 3 were Outside. Thereby making a mockery of the HMRC's statement that 'true contractors would not be affected' by reform ideas.

It appears to me that there's been a general decline in demand for contract PMs over the last decade.

A quick search on Jobserve for 'PMP' showed 30 jobs with a 50/50 contract/permie split. Of course, many are 'inside' and out of economic range. Plus, presumably, there are many candidates chasing the few roles available.

Personally, I gave up on 'pure' PM for an operate in a wider 'project engineer' context undertaking specification, design and test work rather than only 'manage product delivery'.

If there are no suitable PM roles around, maybe it's time to diversify?

[Protagoras]

HMRC don’t trust you -

The feeling's mutual, I'm sure.

[hungry_hog]

It appears to me that there's been a general decline in demand for contract PMs over the last decade.

A quick search on Jobserve for 'PMP' showed 30 jobs with a 50/50 contract/permie split. Of course, many are 'inside' and out of economic range. Plus, presumably, there are many candidates chasing the few roles available.

Personally, I gave up on 'pure' PM for an operate in a wider 'project engineer' context undertaking specification, design and test work rather than only 'manage product delivery'.

If there are no suitable PM roles around, maybe it's time to diversify?

Same goes for BAs
What was a generic BA role has been replayed with BI Analyst, Power BI analyst, Data analyst as what was done manually in SQL before has been replaced with Python, Tableau, Power BI or whatever the new fancy toy is

[sreed]

It appears to me that there's been a general decline in demand for contract PMs over the last decade.

A quick search on Jobserve for 'PMP' showed 30 jobs with a 50/50 contract/permie split. Of course, many are 'inside' and out of economic range. Plus, presumably, there are many candidates chasing the few roles available.

Personally, I gave up on 'pure' PM for an operate in a wider 'project engineer' context undertaking specification, design and test work rather than only 'manage product delivery'.

If there are no suitable PM roles around, maybe it's time to diversify?

I've never found Jobserve particularly useful to find the kind of PM contract that I'd be good at, but generally speaking, based on the limited insight from my recent experience, there's not been an overall decline in generalist PM requirements but it appears lot more distributed over perm, FTC and contracts.

Rem is all over the place and not just for contracts. You have employers advertising very similar PM roles one might pay 40-50k perm and the other 100k perm.

Plus you have a steady supply of people with solid tech experience streaming in from the sub-continent and west Africa as dependents, 1 year Masters students+dependents (that's the easiest entry route to moving here thanks to the 2 year post study visa). They may or may not be good at it but it's easier to tick the boxes for a generalist PM role than for a more core technical JD. You then end up with recruiters getting flooded with apps and all sorts of poor hiring practices.

[Protagoras]

Rem is all over the place and not just for contracts. You have employers advertising very similar PM roles one might pay 40-50k perm and the other 100k perm.

Yes, I noticed that. Also, permie rates don't seem to have increased in real terms - I see many jobs offering the same salary as I was on 20 years ago, but that salary would now have much less purchasing power and be more highly taxed.

[Fraidycat]

Yes, I noticed that. Also, permie rates don't seem to have increased in real terms - I see many jobs offering the same salary as I was on 20 years ago, but that salary would now have much less purchasing power and be more highly taxed.

Its a buyers market at the moment, for both perm and contract. Clients and employers have the whip hand.

UK Long bond yield up and the FTSE 250 in free fall again this morning.. depressing.

[simes]

It appears to me that there's been a general decline in demand for contract PMs over the last decade.

A quick search on Jobserve for 'PMP' showed 30 jobs with a 50/50 contract/permie split. Of course, many are 'inside' and out of economic range. Plus, presumably, there are many candidates chasing the few roles available.

Personally, I gave up on 'pure' PM for an operate in a wider 'project engineer' context undertaking specification, design and test work rather than only 'manage product delivery'.

If there are no suitable PM roles around, maybe it's time to diversify?

Oh, rest assured that diversification has long since been undertaken. And by that I mean a ways outside of the whole PM / Contracting sphere.

But as to 'Project Engineer' as a search, my search has in it only 'Project' and 'Programme' so those roles would also be included for consumption.

[dx4100]

Works running short on the current gig. Started looking for the next thing and what is out there has poor rates except for the odd ones.

Long gone are the days where I am going to wait to be told the contract is over. Its dog eat dog now. Going to cherry pick while in contract and then move soon as I can.

[eek]

Works running short on the current gig. Started looking for the next thing and what is out there has poor rates except for the odd ones.

Long gone are the days where I am going to wait to be told the contract is over. Its dog eat dog now. Going to cherry pick while in contract and then move soon as I can.

+1 - just done exactly that...