State of the market

[gadgetman]

We've had a guy just start who's doing a weekly commute from Brissy so maybe not so many opportunities up there.

Still booming here in Melbourne though. And very hot right now

Brisbane?? Tons of contracts here in Sydney. And *yawn* another day of sun and high twenties. Guess I'll be popping home for a swim at lunchtime again...

[Scrag Meister]

Just had a quick check on the roles available for my field of expertise and they are down to 60% of the adverts back in September.

Rates seem to be holding though for the jobs that are advertised.

[BlasterBates]

I noticed that going down quite a bit just in the last couple of weeks, noticeably less, looked quite "hot" in October. Could be the Christmas period.

[Keen2Work]

Generally disappointed...

Well, I started this thread some months back in the hope of getting sensible, considered replies. I'm mostly disappointed. Forum's like these remind me of the BBC's "Have your say" columns, where most of what you read is opinionated rubbish, or pontification backed up by very little evidence. Perhaps I should have known better.

For those who have tried hard to address the original question - many thanks.

I would love to be back in work and would do it for nothing for a few weeks if I thought it would kick-start my career.

Every month out of work feels like another nail in the coffin. Agency calls are fewer and further between.
I suspect, but am unable to prove by any obvious means, that I'm not alone. It's very frustrating.

Peace to all. I hope any recovery comes soon.

[norrahe]

Well, I started this thread some months back in the hope of getting sensible, considered replies. I'm mostly disappointed. Forum's like these remind me of the BBC's "Have your say" columns, where most of what you read is opinionated rubbish, or pontification backed up by very little evidence. Perhaps I should have known better.

For those who have tried hard to address the original question - many thanks.

I would love to be back in work and would do it for nothing for a few weeks if I thought it would kick-start my career.

Every month out of work feels like another nail in the coffin. Agency calls are fewer and further between.
I suspect, but am unable to prove by any obvious means, that I'm not alone. It's very frustrating.

Peace to all. I hope any recovery comes soon.

Keep at it, refresh your CV weekly on the various job sites, plunder peoples contacts on LinkedIn, it is disheartening, but you have to keep yourself motivated and ignore any negative comments from agents.

It is that time of year when things start to wind down in most industries or if there is a flurry of calls its about "what may be coming up soon". To compare it to this time last year the market is a lot more buoyant and there certainly seems to be things out there.

You are certainly not alone, keep polishing your bench and make sure the space is tidy for when you leave, hopefully soon.

[Lolas Cat]

Well, I started this thread some months back in the hope of getting sensible, considered replies. I'm mostly disappointed. Forum's like these remind me of the BBC's "Have your say" columns, where most of what you read is opinionated rubbish, or pontification backed up by very little evidence. Perhaps I should have known better.

For those who have tried hard to address the original question - many thanks.

I would love to be back in work and would do it for nothing for a few weeks if I thought it would kick-start my career.

Every month out of work feels like another nail in the coffin. Agency calls are fewer and further between.
I suspect, but am unable to prove by any obvious means, that I'm not alone. It's very frustrating.

Peace to all. I hope any recovery comes soon.

If I was in your shoes, I would take a permie role to learn some skill, because experience counts more than any certification (even though a certification is nice to have). And kept on looking fo r contract.

[ChrisPackit]

For what it is worth, I have always found November to be a good month for getting contracts. This is the 3rd contract on the bounce that I have got in November - i.e. 3 x 12 monthers, so chin up and keep at it...

Had an interview this week too, but decided to take another 6 months here.... the decision was made easier by the fact that I didn't get offered the other contract though!

Chris

[craig1]

Got offered an interview slot today that highlighted to me how the market has changed. Agency says the company has shortlisted 15 people for first round interviews then roughly 5 second round. Pre-2008, I'd not had one contract where there had been anyone else interviewed, the interview was essentially to check I was human and could be idiot-checked through my CV. For me, 15 candidates is not a shortlist.

After that it becomes different to anything I've experienced: The client is offering one contract role plus one half-rate "retainer" for two weeks, apparently they've been left with a vacant position too many times by contractors turning up then walking away within a week of realising that "long hours and a difficult environment" isn't an understatement. The terms of the retainer are that you're not expected to turn up to work for them in that time but that you take no other client work in that period, if the retainer is called in and you get the contract then it's paid on top of the normal daily rate for the remainder of the retainer period.

I suppose it sets the expectations very clearly of what working with the client is going to be like!

[SueEllen]

Well, I started this thread some months back in the hope of getting sensible, considered replies. I'm mostly disappointed. Forum's like these remind me of the BBC's "Have your say" columns, where most of what you read is opinionated rubbish, or pontification backed up by very little evidence. Perhaps I should have known better.

To be fair even people with the same main technical skill and same years of experience aren't going to have the same minor technical skills, educational qualifications and personal skills. Plus you also didn't go into detail about what your own skills are.

So your original question was more like how long is a piece of string.

[Stan.goodvibes]

For those who have tried hard to address the original question - many thanks

Don't mention it.

If there is no work where you are - move. People have been doing that for centuries (it's how the US was made) and there are places in the world like Germany and Australia (and others) that are doing quite nicely thank you with plenty of job opportunities. Or you can sit at home waiting for a recovery that will probably never happen....

I am not Australian BTW but yet here I am in Sydney...