Engineering- quiet as the grave at the moment..........

[PAH]

If the rain comes they run and hide their heads.
They might as well be dead.
When the sun shines they slip into the shade
And drink their lemonade.

I can show you that when it rains and shines
Its just a state of mind !

True. But I mind being wet through and cold.

I wonder if people in opposite climates where it's sunny and hot most days of the year feel just as tired of it, and wish it would rain for a change?

[lukemg]

Benched since new year after rashly turning down an extension. Think I am a couple of certs short now (competition has got a bit more fierce from the last year or so). Will do some useful i.e. likely to produce payback training in April if current couple of irons don't produce anything.
Finding it a tough market currently, good luck to all looking, if you have a contract, suggets you cling onto it for now !

[scooterscot]

I don't know how many more contracting Engineers are lurking here...Any insight out there as to what has happened the last 4 to 5 months to make things so dismal?

I'm a engineer, extension last month 2 calls on the hambone yesterday, whit you talking about?

[PAH]

Benched since new year after rashly turning down an extension. Think I am a couple of certs short now (competition has got a bit more fierce from the last year or so). Will do some useful i.e. likely to produce payback training in April if current couple of irons don't produce anything.
Finding it a tough market currently, good luck to all looking, if you have a contract, suggets you cling onto it for now !

Are your skills niche, or are you trying to get back on the .Net bandwagon like me?

[Bagpuss]

Is it just the engineering sector though?

I was going to start a thread along similar lines: Who's on the bench and actively seeking work?

Only been seriously looking for a few days and with Easter looming I'm not expecting to get very far until next week.

I'm not in Engineering and I'm finding it just as slow, only real opportunities are in mainland Europe

[Clippy]

Started looking at the start of 2008 but jobs (permie) were thin on the ground. Wanted a permie job as was moving into a new field - from support to service management.

Extended search to contracts and got a bite immediately.

Great rate and company.

Steep learning curve but renewals assured if performance good.

Chin up to those currently looking.

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm a engineer, extension last month 2 calls on the hambone yesterday, whit you talking about?

Process industries, mechanical engineering. Like death at the moment, I know of only one or two real live open contract jobs at the moment and the agencies are like flies round them. Plenty of calls from pimps "just a call to update our files" and plenty of "urgent jobs that you're ideal for" that don't really exist etc....

Plenty of staff jobs in the £28k to £38k area that nobody wants.

[Fred Bloggs]

I'm not in Engineering and I'm finding it just as slow, only real opportunities are in mainland Europe

Plenty of those where "you're ideal, the job's urgent" then 6 months later you're still waiting.......... Hmmm, yeah, loads of those around!

[scooterscot]

Process industries, mechanical engineering.

The word 'process' I could believe is somewhat thin on the ground at the moment... not an area I'm involved.

Generally I'm serving the weath of the world at the moment as I have been these past 12 months cause I think they are the only ones with money to spend.

[Fred Bloggs]

Yes, looking to move from Petrochem to O&G if possible. With oil >$100 now, it is one of the worlds two only "almost" recession proof industries right now! The other is Gold mining. Although it seems that O&G is starting to dry up a bit now. Belt tightening no doubt. Ho hum......................