Is the sand (market) slipping from under our feet?

[AnthonyQuinn]

The small ups and downs apart, do you feel that the contractor market is in a permanent and irreversible decline. I find more and more clients want permies, rates are on a long term decline and that many of my contractor mates have moved permie recently.

Any philosophical thoughts?

[SimonMac]

Any philosophical thoughts?

I invoice, therefore I contract?!

I think the bubble might have burst, no more silly £1000pd PM's, if your priced fair and good at your job there will always be a job for you.

[ChimpMaster]

I invoice, therefore I contract?!

I think the bubble might have burst, no more silly £1000pd PM's, if your priced fair and good at your job there will always be a job for you.

I agree about no more £1000 contracts, but I don't entirely agree with the "priced fair" bit. I see more and more people going permie or unable to keep up with the higher rates of the past.

We're being forced into a downward spiral and it's not looking good for the future. No matter how good you are, or how much experience you have, the flavour of the decade is to cut costs and save cash - service and quality are way down the line of priorities.

[darrenb]

Britain should have moved to being a knowledge-based economy. Instead it moved to being a finance-based economy, which is not the same thing at all. If you want a decent rate now, you either have to work for a bank or move abroad like I did. Eventually the finance sector will eat itself up too.

If you are in Britain or the US, your competition is over a billion English speakers in poor countries around the world. The same does not apply to Germany, which still has a strong middle class and a healthy manufacturing base.

[MrMark]

Britain should have moved to being a knowledge-based economy. Instead it moved to being a finance-based economy, which is not the same thing at all. If you want a decent rate now, you either have to work for a bank or move abroad like I did. Eventually the finance sector will eat itself up too.

If you are in Britain or the US, your competition is over a billion English speakers in poor countries around the world. The same does not apply to Germany, which still has a strong middle class and a healthy manufacturing base.

We should change our national official language to Geordie, straight away.

[swamp]

Contracting in the UK has seen much darker days than these. The recession and current economic slump (for want of a better word) have just cleaned out the chaff.

My real concern is that rates are unchanged from ten years ago.

[MarillionFan]

The small ups and downs apart, do you feel that the contractor market is in a permanent and irreversible decline. I find more and more clients want permies, rates are on a long term decline and that many of my contractor mates have moved permie recently.

Any philosophical thoughts?

Rates have not really changed hugely over the last decade. I think the issue is, that for those of us who started contracting in the late 90's probably did not appreciate how bloody good we had it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Now (contracting) my rates are higher than when I started but not to the point where I have the same disposable income but it's still better than being a permie. Unless rates start to move up in the next few years then over to the darkside for me.

[AnthonyQuinn]

I might be being pessimitic. I moved to the UK from the US (Married an Englishwoman) in 2005. I found the goping much easier here. Relaxed working atmosphere, No duration celings for contractors etc. I was amazed at some of the rates and durations of contracts (A mate of mine left after 18 years).

But I feel the belts being squeezed for the last 2-3 years. Sometimes by necessity (budgets), sometimes by principle (Contractor cull). Also the rates are 25% lower for the same jobs compared to 2005. I also feel that a contractor today is not necessarily niche or good. Practically anyone can be a contractor and that often leads to a quality erosion. Why would anyone higher a contractor if there was no quality guarantee?

[BlasterBates]

Yeah the duration ceilings put me off, they can get round them to some extent but it's incredibly time consuming finding new contracts. Wouldn't be so bad if it was a quick telephone interview and start on Monday, but these interviews at the banks involve telephone interview, tests and then further interviews.