Oracle DBA Contractor market dead?

[expat]

I've just started looking for an Oracle DBA contract, and am finding a complete lack of interest from the agencies. Is this a really bad time of year to be lookng for a contract? If so, when are the good times?

I've never had this lack of interest before. Is the UK Oracle DBA contractor market dead? Is the contract market itself finished? Is it better to go permanent?

If anybody else is looking right now, how are you finding the market?

Could it be that a combination of Oracle's automation of the routine tasks that are the bread-and-butter of some people who carry the title DBA, plus the large number of people volunteering to perform these tasks from India, has not only reduced the market for local DBAs, but reduced it especially to the more critical posts which might be less likely to offered on a contract basis?

[bniekerk]

I've only recently started looking for my first contract after my permanent employment ended a week ago and I find the market not bad at all, but then again I have nothing to compare it against.

[donaldduke]

Its probably your rate.

The market is flooded with migrants asking for between 200 to 300 a day.

Ofcourse there contracts that pay much higher than that but there arent
as many as there used to be..

[bniekerk]

Its probably your rate.

The market is flooded with migrants asking for between 200 to 300 a day.

Ofcourse there contracts that pay much higher than that but there arent
as many as there used to be..

I've been in the UK 7 years now (probably still count then as a migrant with UK passport) but my rate is in the £400 a day region. Maybe the market is more realistic now only willing to pay more for specialist DBA skills, which is good. It means that the quality of DBAs needs to be higher and the client get a better deal.