Cost of living and day rate

[thelastrosbif]

Permies have been seeing some sweet little raises across the board. However, am I the only contractor who feels a bit left out? After 10 months on the fly I found myself available again and I haven't found anything at least on par with my last gig. Companies want to pay no more than £500-550 PD, same as the past 4-5 years since I've been contracting. It's a hard impasse, even with years of experience that the companies want anything above X is a firm No. Even if you're the second coming of Christ himself. Ugh.

Biggest increases I've seen in the last few years are since IR35, rates pushing up into 600-650s for some, and eventually somehow this is trickling over to outside (illogically) but not very often. I don't think salary raises correlate exactly although "generally" if the costs are going up for one, the client may be more flexible to accept its going up on both sides?

Problem is there are far too many contractors who are overvalued from the start, they hit that golden 500p/d based on the number of gigs they have done x, rather than are they actually any good, then get stuck when the agents can't really sell you any further. Unless you're top-level consultant, a specialist niche technologies or a particularly spendthrift industry/client, you might need to up your game, show your value more

I've found spending a bit of timea at the client site, dress up smart, bring our consultant kit, impress some senior bods, networking old school, being every bit the pro seems to impress a little more these days with this new remote working obsession & tons of low-quality contractors bobbing in & out of roles like an adecco temp. Managed to negotiate a reasonable extension & rate increase based on my last couple of visits etc. Show your value.

Gotta work for your money..

[dsc]

Permies have been seeing some sweet little raises across the board. However, am I the only contractor who feels a bit left out? After 10 months on the fly I found myself available again and I haven't found anything at least on par with my last gig. Companies want to pay no more than £500-550 PD, same as the past 4-5 years since I've been contracting. It's a hard impasse, even with years of experience that the companies want anything above X is a firm No. Even if you're the second coming of Christ himself. Ugh.

Well then clearly there's enough people available on the market with your skillset and companies don't have to increase rates to get bums on seats.

There's an easy way to get "sweet little raises" below inflation though - go perm

[OneManBand]

I've been getting 600pd outside for the last two years, WFH so zero cost of travel and hotel. So, no, I am not thinking of increasing my rate. Although if I tried I could get it - but why paint a target sign on your back in this climate?

[eek]

I've been getting 600pd outside for the last two years, WFH so zero cost of travel and hotel. So, no, I am not thinking of increasing my rate. Although if I tried I could get it - but why paint a target sign on your back in this climate?

+1 never be the most expensive. When cost cutting arrives they will always remove the most expensive resource first unless there is a very good reason for them to be on that rate (and the only sane reason for that would be because you are doing the job of the person at the next pay grade up - i.e. doing Solution Architect work while being paid a top whack developer rate).

[biergarten]

Permies have been seeing some sweet little raises across the board. However, am I the only contractor who feels a bit left out? After 10 months on the fly I found myself available again and I haven't found anything at least on par with my last gig. Companies want to pay no more than £500-550 PD, same as the past 4-5 years since I've been contracting. It's a hard impasse, even with years of experience that the companies want anything above X is a firm No. Even if you're the second coming of Christ himself. Ugh.

I've the same impression. my last 3 gigs followed the same path. Contracts outside IR35, 550-600-500, initially 6 months. When it was time for an extension they offered me a perm position, not offering extension as contractor. At the same time they were starting to hire people from consultancies in Portugal, Chech Republic, Turkey, Slovakia,... And I have the feeling that there is a decline in rates and number of contracts outside IR35 in the last few months.

Never happened to me not to be extended when there were still things to be developed

[hugebrain]

Permies have been seeing some sweet little raises across the board. However, am I the only contractor who feels a bit left out? After 10 months on the fly I found myself available again and I haven't found anything at least on par with my last gig. Companies want to pay no more than £500-550 PD, same as the past 4-5 years since I've been contracting. It's a hard impasse, even with years of experience that the companies want anything above X is a firm No. Even if you're the second coming of Christ himself. Ugh.

Going rate is a grand a day in London, but obviously it is a bit smelly.

And before all you experts chime in that I’m underselling myself, that is for someone with few discernible skills, obviously you could expect more if you can program a bit,

[TheDude]

Going rate is a grand a day in London, but obviously it is a bit smelly.

And before all you experts chime in that I’m underselling myself, that is for someone with few discernible skills, obviously you could expect more if you can program a bit,

Rubbish - the vast majority of financial services contracts are between £600-£850 inside.

[eek]

Rubbish - the vast majority of financial services contracts are between £600-£850 inside.

Yep you have to be really exceptional (and exceptionally required to get above that),

[lecyclist]

Simple example for UK contracts:
On jobserve, put in your keyword of choice and choose the £100+ per hour filter. Almost all the jobs are in London. So if you are not prepared to remote/ hybrid in London, your options will be limited

[hugebrain]

Simple example for UK contracts:
On jobserve, put in your keyword of choice and choose the £100+ per hour filter. Almost all the jobs are in London. So if you are not prepared to remote/ hybrid in London, your options will be limited

Can’t you just say you will work hybrid and then not? Buggers at my last “hybrid” contract never even gave me a security pass.

Not sure how widespread this is.