State of the Market

[jamesbrown]

How much that nets and whether I can get a VISA is another thing.

You probably can't, unless you're working for an institution that's exempt from the cap on H1-B, for example. These visas are capped annually and the annual cap disappears instantly. You'll have more luck with contract opportunities if you have a niche or in-demand skillset, but contracting in the US is very different from the UK, and it also takes time to build contacts. You may get a remote, permie, position, but then you're also competing with broader and cheaper markets than the UK, so you may not see the huge increment attached to equivalent US roles, which absolutely exists, I agree.

[eek]

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

Bank that sounds like Bitty? I WANT BITTY! Cant guess. Little Britain settings

Interesting just had that convo with my family yesterday eg I might have to go to the USA. Then today just got my first interview in a year with an American company.

classic quote in that article - "the UK could join India as an offshore jobs market for highly skilled talent on the cheap. Cheap for American standards that is."

Salaries in the USA seem insane for tech compared to here thats for sure. It seems to be $150k+ for what I do.

How much that nets and whether I can get a VISA is another thing.

The way things are falling salary wise in the UK eg back to 2003 levels - thats moving towards 3X what Ive been approached for recently

This is the total number of SAAS companies by country, USA literally 10x.

As we've discussed before a lot of those USA SAAS companies will be pitching off the shelf solutions to UK companies to kill their bespoke internal systems. And with it nuking the UK headcount.

United States	9,100
United Kingdom	1,500
Canada	992
Germany	840
India	711

I’m at a loss here - for the past 20 years we’ve been a cheap (relative to US) place where US banks have outsourced work to.

Why else do you think the US banks have offices in Glasgow / Belfast

[sreed]

This is the total number of SAAS companies by country, USA literally 10x.

As we've discussed before a lot of those USA SAAS companies will be pitching off the shelf solutions to UK companies to kill their bespoke internal systems. And with it nuking the UK headcount.

United States	9,100
United Kingdom	1,500
Canada	992
Germany	840
India	711

If you are able to move to the US, I’m sure there’s the potential to earn a lot more than in the UK. I’ve no idea how easy it is to get a visa. From my younger days, I know of a couple of ex-colleagues who emigrated to Canada and then used that as a bridge to move to the US after getting a Canadian passport. Harder to do if you’re middle-aged and with a family but if you’re young and unattached then the world’s your oyster!

However, I would argue that the numbers above don’t really mean a lot given how globally diversified SAAS businesses are - headquarter in country A, offices and workers in across the world, dev in Asia, customers across the globe, etc.

[dsc]

For anyone who looked at that URL and thought "nope!", it's an article which refers to "a recent IPSE survey". So, probably better to go directly to the source:
One in 10 contractors out of work due to controversial tax changes | IPSE

Key points:

21% not working and 50%+ reject inside IR35 contracts

Tax changes came in three years ago, why are we even talking about it as if it's just happened and people had no time to re-adjust?

[sreed]

21% not working and 50%+ reject inside IR35 contracts

Tax changes came in three years ago, why are we even talking about it as if it's just happened and people had no time to re-adjust?

Exactly. It’s not going to go back to what it was. The Tories couldn’t be arsed to reverse the changes they made and Labour (who are using ‘tax avoiders’ as a bottomless well of savings like the Tories do with ‘public sector efficiencies’ and ‘benefit reforms’) will tighten it further if they win.

I’m grateful for the large percentage who reportedly reject inside contracts and are looking for overseas contracts.

[Fraidycat]

Tax changes came in three years ago, why are we even talking about it as if it's just happened and people had no time to re-adjust?

And for the 12 months after private sector changes were introduced, the contract market was still booming, and this was not due to a delayed reaction, as it had already been delayed by 12 months due to covid and many firms had stopped outside gigs before the rules came in.

[tsmith]

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alexs...member_desktop

RIP Scrum Masters. Long live Waterfall and Project Managers

"So, according ITJobsWatch, we're currently seeing job postings that featured 'Scrum Master' in the job title at the same levels as 2014 for contract and 2011 for perm...

From the same graph, both peaked in 2022.

Interested to hear from my network as to why you feel this could be?

Is it that the Scrum Master has morphed into more of a Delivery Manager and now required to wear multiple hats? Could it be that there is simply less need for Scrum Masters these days, and others in the team are able to facilitate those tasks? Or, could it simply be that it's a tough market out there at the moment and we will see an improvement in this space?"

[sreed]

Here’s what ChatGPT says about this. My opinion leans towards 3 & 4, and to a lesser extent 1 -

———
The recent trends in job postings for 'Scrum Master' roles suggest a shift in the market.

1. **Role Evolution**: The Scrum Master role is evolving into a more encompassing Delivery Manager position. This reflects the growing complexity of projects and the need for agile leaders who can wear multiple hats, not just facilitate Scrum ceremonies.

2. **Market Dynamics**: After peaking in 2022, the market may have reached a saturation point. As agile practices become embedded in teams, the demand for specialized Scrum Masters could be diminishing, with their tasks being absorbed by other team members.

3. **Economic Influence**: The current economic climate is tough, and this has a direct impact on hiring trends. Companies may be consolidating roles to optimize costs, which could explain the reduced emphasis on hiring Scrum Masters.

4. **Agile Integration**: With the rise of remote work, agile methodologies are being distributed across various roles within teams. This could mean that the facilitation tasks traditionally handled by a Scrum Master are now being distributed among team members, reducing the need for a dedicated Scrum Master.

5. **Skill Set Shift**: There's a growing expectation for Scrum Masters to have a broader skill set, including technical expertise and leadership skills. This could lead to fewer job postings for traditional Scrum Master roles as the requirements expand to include a wider range of competencies.

In essence, while the title 'Scrum Master' may appear less frequently in job postings, the essence of the role and the agile practices it encompasses remain vital. Organizations continue to value the principles of Scrum, but the way these skills are integrated into teams is evolving, leading to a more fluid job market.
——

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Lots of roles (not just in IT) have been combined as some genius decides they can just have one person do everything. I recently enquired about a pretty heavy duty lead role in an implementation programme only to find the job spec wasn't just about implementing the whole thing (and a whole load of other stuff), it was also sales, generating your own leads for future projects.

I have been seeking systems manager roles looking after my the application I have a lot of knowledge in - Workday - most recently I've seen a role that involves BAU and project work looking after all HR and Finance systems AND being the payroll manager!

To continue with the Little Britain references upthread, they want you to write the theme tune, sing the theme tune and appear in every episode.

More seriously - if I could do all the things asked for, I certainly wouldn't need to be wasting time applying for jobs at crappyco.

[tsmith]

Lots of roles (not just in IT) have been combined as some genius decides they can just have one person do everything. I recently enquired about a pretty heavy duty lead role in an implementation programme only to find the job spec wasn't just about implementing the whole thing (and a whole load of other stuff), it was also sales, generating your own leads for future projects.

I have been seeking systems manager roles looking after my the application I have a lot of knowledge in - Workday - most recently I've seen a role that involves BAU and project work looking after all HR and Finance systems AND being the payroll manager!

To continue with the Little Britain references upthread, they want you to write the theme tune, sing the theme tune and appear in every episode.

More seriously - if I could do all the things asked for, I certainly wouldn't need to be wasting time applying for jobs at crappyco.

Workday - the worst thing to happen to applying for jobs in 30 years. Lets make you choose a username and password for EVERY company advertising roles. Even though they all use Workday.

"SSO is for losers" - Head Of Product - Workday

Just seen exactly this on LinkedIn. Job spec was literally a one man digital agency. Wasnt even 3 roles in one more like 5.

Roles and responsibilities of a Scrum Master, Product Manager, Head Of Design - cant remember the rest - just ridiculous